Logistics leaders Agility, Maersk, TNT Express and UPS are offering vital warehousing, transport, and logistics support in the current emergency in the Central Philippines, to ensure that critical relief supplies reach those affected by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. The four companies make up the Logistics Emergency Teams (LETs), a cross-company partnership that supports humanitarian relief efforts during natural disasters.

The LETs are responding to a request for assistance by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In addition to being the frontline agency fighting hunger, WFP also leads the Logistics Cluster, which coordinates the logistical response of the humanitarian community in times of disaster.

Super typhoon Haiyan, the fourth most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded and possibly the strongest to have ever hit land, began life as a cluster of thunderstorms in the warm Northwest Pacific waters of the Federated States of Micronesia. According to the UN, more than 11 million people have been affected, almost a million people have been displaced, and 4,460 people are reported dead.

“Partnership and close coordination of relief efforts is essential during a large-scale disaster such as Typhoon Haiyan,” explains Thomas Thompson, Head of the WFP-led Logistics Cluster. “We are fortunate to have the expertise and many offers of support from our LET partners, who have come together to help the Filipino people.”

• The assistance from the LET partners includes logistical support, such as the facilitation of customs guidance for relief goods brought in by the humanitarian community. In addition to staff and expertise, LET partners have also offered access to operational assets such as trucks, vessels, barges, forklifts, refrigerated containers and warehouses.

“Agility and its LET partners are ready to help the Philippine government speed assistance to the areas and people most in need,” said Tarek Sultan, Chairman and CEO of Agility. “Chaos and disorder inevitably follow a tragedy of this magnitude. The LET teams can deploy experienced logistics professionals and pool resources in a way that increase the efficiency of efforts led by the government and humanitarian groups.”

“UPS has a long history of working with disaster relief organizations to deliver critical, life-saving aid to communities in need around the world,” said Eduardo Martinez, President, The UPS Foundation. “The victims of Typhoon Haiyan are facing many hardships. Last week, UPS pledged $1 million in financial and logistical support to organizations that will provide assistance in the days, weeks and months ahead. By doing so, we are helping ensure impacted citizens have a reliable, efficient and predictable path back to recovery.”

"TNT Express appreciates this opportunity to offer logistical support to the victims of typhoon Haiyan. By delivering assistance where it's most needed, we can help the victims rebuild their lives," said Jan Ernst de Groot, Managing Director External Affairs and Corporate Responsibility, TNT Express.

“The efficient deployment of logistics expertise in the first phase of an emergency can be crucial in providing medicine, food and shelter to minimize human suffering. With our logistics and transport expertise and equipment, the Maersk Group is ready to assist the Philippine government and the UN to respond to this tragic disaster and help pave the way for a speedy recovery,” said Nils S. Andersen, CEO of the Maersk Group.

In addition to providing warehousing and transport assets, the LET partners provide expertise and local knowledge to support the response of the entire humanitarian community in getting food, shelter, and health and water sanitation items to the communities most affected.

The LET initiative is the first multi-company commitment to the humanitarian sector and was launched in 2008 at the World Economic Forum Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Central to the LET model is the partnership of otherwise competing companies utilizing their corporate expertise, local resources, and relationships in support of humanitarian relief efforts in response to natural disasters.

For more information please contact:

WFP Media Contact:
Frances Kennedy Tel: 06 6513 3725 (Rome)/+66 843 879878 (Thai mobile), frances.kennedy@wfp.org

Agility Media Contact:
Nita Bhatkar Tel: +965-2498-1154 (office) /+965-97223703 (cell), nbhatkar@agilitylogistics.com

Maersk Media Contact:
Louise Münter Tel: + 45 3363 1912 (office)/ + 45 4048 6634 (cell), louise.munter@maersk.com

TNT Express Media Contact:
Cyrille Gibot Tel: +31 88 393 9300 (office) / +31 65 113 3104 (cell), cyrille.gibot@tnt.com

UPS Media Contact:
Kristen A. Petrella Tel: +1 404 828 4182, kpetrella@ups.com

Logistics Emergency Teams
In the wake of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, three companies, Agility, TNT and UPS, decided to look into a coordinated, industry-wide emergency support to humanitarian organizations. Under the auspices of the World Economic Forum, the companies started sharing best practices from their bilateral humanitarian partnerships. They developed a joint operating structure – today’s LET – to lend a collective hand to humanitarian organizations.

In 2011, Maersk joined the LET to further strengthen and support its activities and initiatives.

The Logistics Emergency Teams add to the member companies’ respective humanitarian partnerships. The LET humanitarian assistance program has supported operations in Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, West Sumatra, Haiti and Pakistan.

About The UPS Foundation
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation is responsible for leading the organization’s philanthropy and corporate citizenship efforts. In 2012, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $97.5 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

About Agility
Agility brings efficiency to supply chains in some of the globe’s most challenging environments, offering unmatched personal service, a global footprint and customized capabilities in developed and developing economies alike. Agility is one of the world’s leading providers of integrated logistics. It is a publicly traded company with $4.8 billion in revenue and more than 22,000 employees in 500 offices across 100 countries.

Agility’s core commercial business, Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), provides supply chain solutions to meet traditional and complex customer needs. GIL offers air, ocean and road freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution, and specialized services in project logistics, fairs and events, and chemicals. Agility’s Infrastructure group of companies manages industrial real estate and offers logistics-related services, including e-government customs optimization and consulting, waste management and recycling, aviation and ground-handling services, support to governments and ministries of defense, remote infrastructure and life support.

For more information about Agility, please visit www.agilitylogistics.com.

About TNT Express
TNT Express is one of the world’s largest express delivery companies. On a daily basis, TNT Express delivers close to one million consignments ranging from documents and parcels to palletised freight. The company operates road and air transportation networks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. TNT Express made €7.3 billion in revenue in 2012.

About Maersk
The Maersk Group is a worldwide conglomerate headquartered in Denmark, with offices in more than 140 countries and approximately 121,000 employees. The Group consists of a broad range of companies working in the energy, logistics, retail and manufacturing industries. Maersk is the world’s largest operator in the transportation of containers using sea transport, including planning and execution of efficient transport solutions on land, and running portside container terminals.

As a global company, Maersk encounters different cultures and standards of social responsibility. The Group’s commitment to conduct business in an ethical and lawful manner is outlined in Maersk’s Group Policies and in Group Rules. In January 2011, Maersk was announced one of 50 global corporate sustainability leaders to join the LEAD programme – an initiative under the U.N. Global Compact. The Group has been chosen for the LEAD programme, because it has been working actively with Global Compact on labour, environment and anti-corruption.

The two business units of the Maersk Group that are participating actively in the LET are Damco and Maersk Line.

For more information about Maersk, visit www.maersk.com.

About UN World Food Programme
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Last year, WFP reached more than 97 million people in 80 countries with food assistance.

UPS

UPS

UPS is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves 10.6 million customers daily in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.

For more information, please visit UPS.com or the company’s Sustainability website, ups.com/sustainability. View and subscribe to UPS Horizons, our sustainability newsletter, by visiting ups.com/sustainabilitynewsletter.

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