Hurricane disaster relief and rebuilding in the Bahamas

The MSC Foundation and MSC Group provided $5 million vital aid in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which ravaged the Bahamas in September 2019. Mobilising its first-ever Global Emergency Assistance Task Force, MSC arranged for the first ship to deliver an initial consignment of 19 containers of humanitarian relief just 8 days after Dorian hit, with the remainder arriving soon after. The comprehensive package totalling 165 containers of humanitarian relief included water, rice, generators, building materials, tools, furniture, mattresses and medical supplies. In addition, MSC shipped, stored in Freeport, and passed over for distribution over 250 containers of humanitarian relief shipped free or discounted into Freeport and stocked free of charge at the Freeport container terminal.

Subsequently, in January 2020, MSC Foundation announced an additional relief and rebuilding package worth over $500,000. This included a new free-of-charge loan to the Bahamas Government of 20 containerized housing units with a capacity of 40 people to provide high-quality temporary housing to vulnerable families who lost their homes during the disaster, the loan of three new large-format waste removal trailers to clear debris in affected communities, and nineteen 40-foot containers of high-grade ceramic tiles donated by MSI in partnership with MSC. MSC Foundation has strong connections with the Bahamas, having partnered with a panel of conservation experts to restore and nurture the coral beds around Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, populated by one of the most vulnerable sets of coral species on the planet.

In June 2020, MSC Foundation delivered the 20 containerized housing units to Bahamian Authorities in preparation for their distribution.