Recently, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, the strongest experienced by the country this century. The quake caused building collapses and road damage, severely impacting local production and daily life. Following the disaster, the Chinese government moved swiftly to provide approximately 80 tons of emergency humanitarian assistance to Colombia to support disaster relief efforts in the affected areas.
The aid supplies comprised a total of 2,460 items, including generators, water purification trucks, disinfection machines, solar lighting equipment, tents, and blankets, with a total cargo volume of approximately 370 cubic meters. On August 17, all materials were assembled in Beijing, and COSCO SHIPPING urgently undertook the task of local land-transport logistics support for this batch of supplies. In the early hours of August 18, the disaster relief materials departed from Beijing Capital International Airport, launching a cross‑border relief operation spanning half the globe.
Upon receiving the mission, COSCO SHIPPING Lines (Colombia) immediately activated an emergency response mechanism and established a dedicated emergency working group. They completed various preparatory tasks in advance, including customs clearance, empty container allocation, and vehicle scheduling, securing precious time for the rapid transfer of materials upon their arrival. After a flight of approximately 20 hours, the special aircraft carrying the relief supplies arrived in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, at noon on August 18.
Upon the arrival of the materials, the local team immediately commenced operations, completing customs clearance and entry into the airport transit warehouse within just 3 hours, and completing loading for 8 containers within 7 hours. Facing the practical challenges of post-earthquake road congestion and complex road conditions, the transport fleet departed overnight and drove continuously for 18 hours, covering 460 kilometers and crossing the Andes Mountains. On the evening of August 19, all disaster relief supplies were safely delivered to Cali, the capital of the Valle del Cauca Department, which was the hardest-hit area, successfully completing the last-mile delivery of aid supplies. Throughout the entire process, all procedures including customs clearance, vehicle deployment and route‑planning were properly executed, with the team overcoming multiple tests such as long-haul overnight operations.
Looking ahead, COSCO SHIPPING will continue to leverage the advantages of its global network. While safeguarding international economic and trade exchanges, the company will actively assume responsibility and uphold its corporate social responsibility.
