A new grain unloader made possible by the combined efforts of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the governments of Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) began operations on Thursday at the José Antonio Echeverría port in the municipality of Regla.
The project supports recuperation efforts following the tornado which struck Havana last year damaging approximately 1,200 homes, tearing off more than 200 roofs and cutting off electricity to 220,000 people. The grain unloader also helps guarantee food security.
The grain unloader will reduce unloading time and compensate for the loss of capacity after the tornado damaged the Regla Port during the tornado. The UAE and Russia lent their assistance in the implementation of the dock project.
Bader Almatrooshi, the UAE Ambassador (Havana), Sergey Reshchikov, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy (Havana), and the WFP representative Paolo Mattei attended the launch ceremony with Cuba.
“The issue of support to humanitarian and socio-economic initiatives, implemented on the Island of Freedom, resonates with the Russian Federation. Cuba is one of Russia’s main economic partners in Latin America and the Caribbean,” Reshchikov said.
The new grain unloader will allow for a cost savings of about $100,000 dollars per week and will benefit the food security of more than two million people in Havana and surrounding areas. The crane has the capacity to unload 200 metric tons of wheat per hour from the ships to the silos and reduce docking times.
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