Umm Qasr, Iraq, Mar 28: The British navy ship RFA Sir Galahad docked today in the captured southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr, bringing with it tonnes of urgently needed humanitarian aid. The ship was carrying one million liters of water as well as vast amounts of food and medical supplies, officials said. A British general said that coalition forces who secured control of Umm Qasr earlier this week would initially be in charge of distributing the supplies but said that it was hoped that aid agencies would take on the task later. "Initially the military are going to have to do this but afterwards we hope that the United Nations, the World Food Programme and UNICEF are going to come and do it properly," Major General Albert Whitley said here.
British officials said they expected part of the shipment, the first to arrive in Iraq, would be distributed in Umm Qasr tomorrow while the rest would be distributed in coming days in other towns in southern Iraq.
The port itself was under tight security and sealed off to locals.
Plans for the Sir Galahad, a 8,750 tonne logistics support ship attached to the Royal Navy, to dock yesterday were postponed for 24 hours after the discovery of mines in the waters. Bureau Report