Navy-Chartered Ship Delivers Coalition Cargo

A Military Sealift Command-chartered ship, MV Tor Futura, arrived in Szczecin, Poland, on March 9 to off-load nearly 20,000 square feet of Slovakian army cargo. Slovakian troops served in Iraq until January. While in Szczecin, Tor Futura also loaded nearly 85,000 square feet of Polish army cargo including trucks, trailers and various containers of combat equipment. This cargo is bound for Afghanistan where Polish troops are serving on the front lines of the global war on terrorism.

Military Sealift Command (MSC), the U.S. Navy’s sea transportation command, continues to support coalition troops engaged in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), MSC’s sister organization under U.S. Transportation Command, loaded the cargo aboard Tor Futura. MSC and SDDC work hand-in-hand to ensure the delivery of U.S. and coalition cargo to troops around the globe. This support is particularly important in Europe where MSC and SDDC often facilitate the deployment of non-U.S. cargo. “Many of the coalition forces are not as expeditionary as U.S. forces and therefore need more assistance in the deployment process,” said Army Lt. Col. John A. Hanson, commander of SDDC’s Rotterdam-based 838th Transportation Battalion.

Since 2003, MSC ships have delivered nearly 500,000 square feet of cargo on behalf of European nations involved in the global war on terrorism. “Helping our coalition partners with the logistics of delivering combat equipment to their troops on the ground in a war zone is an important part of MSC’s job,” said Capt. Nick Holman, commander of MSC’s European headquarters, Sealift Logistics Command Europe. “MSC and SDDC will continue to work together here in Europe to support coalition troops operating at the tip of the spear in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.” MSC operates the U.S. Navy’s fleet of more than 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that deliver combat equipment to troops, re-supply Navy ships at sea, chart the ocean floor and perform a variety of other missions for the Department of Defense.

From Sealift Logistics Command Europe