Ship of Goodness sails from Türkiye with 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Somalia

By Serkan Avci, Yakup Saglam

MERSIN, Türkiye (AA) - The Ship of Goodness carrying 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Somalia departed from Mersin, southern province of Türkiye, on Sunday.

The aid, coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and supported by the Turkish Red Crescent and various NGOs, was loaded onto the vessel GHADA.

At the farewell ceremony, AFAD President Okay Memis said since 2016, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's patronage, Türkiye has delivered over 60,000 tons of aid to the East African country, which is prone to natural disasters, including droughts, famine, floods, and cyclones.

He emphasized Türkiye's commitment to helping those in need both locally and in broader regions, highlighting the significant contributions of civil society organizations and philanthropists.

Following the speeches, the ship, loaded with 130,000 food packages along with various other food items, hygiene products, clothing, and shelter materials, was sent off to Mogadishu port.

The ceremony was attended by Mersin governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Turkish Red Crescent Vice President Ramazan Saygili, AFAD Provincial Director Cenk Yildiz, and other officials.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul