Among the donations are food, tents, generators, blankets, gas heater, sleeping bags, mobile toilet and medicinal items
by NURUL SUHAIDI / pic BERNAMA
NORTHPORT (M) Bhd has raised an emergency relief amounting to RM510,000 under the Logistics Community Humanitarian Aid for earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria.
The aid contribution will be channelled through the Malaysian Relief Agency (MRA) within 28 days to the respective countries.
Forty-seven companies in the logistics network in Port Klang have participated and given their monetary contribution, with the largest being Infinity Logistics and Transport Sdn Bhd and the Port Klang Authority (PKA).
Northport will be coordinating with shipping lines for the goods and items, and loading of these containers onto ships that call the nearest port to the affected areas in both countries.
Meanwhile, MRA will be responsible to identify and source the aid items, liaising with the logistics counterparts, in both countries for the landside cargo movement as well as the volunteers.
Northport CEO Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof said apart from solidarity, this campaign symbolises the collective responsibility and exemplary team spirit of industry players in Port Klang.
“The natural disaster triggered us to render immediate support and we are very proud to be part of the campaign where we have successfully raised more than half a million ringgit in less than five days starting Feb 17,” Azman Shah said during the cheque presentation ceremony today.
Meanwhile, MRA president Mohd Daud Sulaiman said the mission focuses and prioritises distributing essential needs and support to the victims during the freezing winter temperature.
Among the donations are food, tents, generators, blankets, gas heater, sleeping bags, mobile toilet and medicinal items.
“Our team consisting of six volunteers including two doctors is currently in Hatay province in Turkiye, to deliver basic needs,” Mohd Daud said.
Previously, MRA also collaborated with Northport and Shin Yang Shipping on a relief expedition to assist the communities in Sabah and Sarawak afflicted by Covid-19 as well as the frontline healthcare staff.
In January 2021, Northport and MRA collaborated to direct donations from a fundraising effort towards aiding flood victims in numerous Malaysian states.
For this humanitarian mission, MRA has set up a base camp in Hatay, a province affected by the earthquake, located in the southern part of Turkiye and Syria borders.
The cheque of RM510,000 was handed over by Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Loke lauded the exemplary team spirit of the industry players in Port Klang led by Northport.
“As a global citizen we have a responsibility to help the victims of disasters,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to Malaysia Emir Salim Yüksel, Infinity MD Datuk Seri Chan Kong Yew and PKA GM Captain K Subramaniam.