The delivery augments the cargo handling equipment fleet brought in by the company a week earlier and will assist in aid and typhoon relief efforts.
http://www.ictsi.com/media-center/our-releases/2013/12/ictsi-brings-heavy-lift-equipment-to-tacloban/
This will have a significant impact and we should reflect on the relative effectiveness of having one of these ready to deploy against sending a frigate, a well meaning bunch of ration consumers from DFiD or handful of 463L pallets loaded with ‘stuff’
This will use local labour, enhance the recovery effort for years and provide a massive uplift to the inbound cargo handling volume in the area.
It is always about the ports, isn’t it?
Effects not effort and all that
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On a roughly related tip – exit Captain Bob McQueen RN, who sorted out Ascension as a logistic base in 1982 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9439356/Capt-Bob-McQueen.html
Sea Vixen pilot, frigate captain, argued for a JSS style integrated RFA. Should perhaps not have worked so hard to stay away from MOD, as he probably avoided being an admiral.