Logistics

Transport

Transport refers to all those different ways through which the delivery of needed goods is organized, that is, by sea, by air, by road, by train. A difference is normally made when planning between international and in-country (or internal) transport.

Transport can be both international and internal. International transport can cross one or more countries before reaching the border of the affected nation (theater) of the humanitarian relief operations. International transport is normally done by sea wherever possible, as it is the least expensive way of moving goods, then by road, train, or internal waterways. Transport can also be accomplished by air; shipping by air is normally done during emergencies when time is critical to saving lives. Once humanitarian aid is in the country, it is normally directed to primary or secondary warehouse facilities before being transferred to the site where the relief project is implemented (construction materials for shelters, medicines for health centers, food for distribution to the hungry).

Maritime transport: Shipping by sea is the most convenient way of transport, able to move large quantities of relief items though not really flexible because it is dependent on large infrastructures. Transport by sea can be done in containers or in bulk cargo, depending on the needs and the commodities. In some humanitarian operations, internal waterways are also used. And in case of flooding or tsunami response, coastal shipping is extensively used to reach people in need.

Air transport: Shipping by air is utilized especially at the beginning of emergencies, when saving time means saving lives. However, air transport is expensive and requires quantities to be limited. Another challenge can be related to the type of infrastructure available in the country to be served. In fact, airports might not always be able to receive deliveries because airports can be limited by the type of infrastructures present in country and by their own maximum capacity.

Air transport is utilized within a country as well; humanitarian cargo and workers are often deployed by air, especially in order to get to the zone of operation as quickly as possible. Air transport in this case is often done by helicopters that can land even where there are no airports. Air transportation is chosen also for technical reasons, sometimes during natural disaster responses when the zone of operations might be inaccessible by road. Security considerations can also affect this kind of choice.

Ground transport: Ground transport is made up of road and railway systems. Ground transport via large trucks is utilized for transferring large quantities of commodities from ports or airports to main warehouses, hubs, and secondary warehouses and is also used to cover the last leg before the distribution site. This latter step is done with smaller trucks or even pickups.

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