Transportation and logistics companies as well as groups like the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) have devoted significant time and resources to help fight the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. In a few cases, companies have even put their own "boots on the ground" in the region. One of those is Crowley Maritime Corp., which sent logistics specialists to Africa in support of the U.S. military's Operation United Assistance. That initiative deployed more than 3,000 U.S. military personnel to build 17 Ebola treatment centers.
According to Crowley, the company has provided emergency shipping, warehousing, trucking, stevedoring, customs brokerage, and other logistics services to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Army in both Liberia and Senegal.
Since September, Crowley's Bleu Hilburn, director, logistics, and colleagues Wally Gonzalez, manager, logistics, and Chris Goss, manager, Africa logistics, have been overseeing onsite operations. Among the team's accomplishments: chartering the fast containership **ital{Vega} to deliver supplies from Germany to Senegal and Liberia; establishing eight warehouses for the distribution of humanitarian aid and construction supplies; and trucking more than 4,000 loads of cargo to often-remote construction sites in Liberia. Work continues in both Liberia and Senegal.
Crowley says it took "extreme efforts" to protect its employees with personal protective gear, satellite tracking devices, health monitoring, and other measures in addition to establishing a stateside pandemic team.
