Fri | Dec 12, 2025

EU members collaborate to bring relief supplies to Jamaica

Published:Monday | November 3, 2025 | 10:09 PM
Life-saving emergency supplies delivered by the French Navy through European Union emergency coordination mechanism at the Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited on Monday.
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Life-saving emergency supplies delivered by the French Navy through European Union emergency coordination mechanism at the Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited on Monday.

A shipment of relief supplies provided through a collaboration by the European Union (EU), France and the Netherlands has arrived in Jamaica with the parties promising "much more to come in the next days and weeks to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of the country and its people".

The relief items were sent from the Regional Logistical hub in Barbados managed by World Food Programme (WFP) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), as well as from the French and Dutch bases in the Caribbean.

The French Armed Forces in the West Indies supported the operation with the help of an overseas assistance vessel based in Martinique.

The shipment, which arrived at the Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited on Monday, includes items to assist communities most affected by the hurricane, mainly water treatment and production units, storage tanks, energy production equipment, camping and sleeping equipment, and hygiene supplies and kits.

"The EU reaffirms its commitment to stand with our long-standing partner, Jamaica, and we hope this assistance will ease the suffering of so many Jamaicans whose lives have suddenly changed,” said Dr Erja Askola, EU Ambassador to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas.

Dutch Navy support ship HNLMS Pelikaan, which is based in Curacao, is also carrying food, medical supplies and emergency shelter to Kingston to assist Jamaican communities affected by the disaster. HNLMS Pelikaan is expected to arrive on Tuesday.

“This support was made possible by the close cooperation between the Jamaican authorities, the EU, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the French and Dutch navies in the Caribbean. It shows the strong and enduring commitment of the Netherlands to the people of Jamaica in times of crisis. The supplies will help Jamaican communities alleviate some of the most pressing humanitarian needs in the early stages of recovery,” says Matthijis Wolters Ambassador of The Netherlands to Cuba and Jamaica.

The Government of Barbados, through the Department of Emergency Management, is also sending relief items on the Dutch vessel.

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