Cargo vessel set to ship U.S. medical, defence supplies towards Ukraine

[May 20, 2022] ANTWERP (Reuters) - The U.S. is spanning a sea bridge over the Atlantic to support Ukraine with crucial equipment in its war against Russia, a senior official said on Friday, as a huge cargo ship at the Belgian port of Antwerp got ready to set sail for Germany.  

A view shows a cargo ship set to deliver military supplies to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, during a visit of Carol A. Petsonk, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, in Antwerp, Belgium, May 20, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

Carol Petsonk, the United States' Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, was shown around the loading dock of the vehicles carrier "Arc Integrity" where the military gear was tied with straps to the floor.

"What we see is the vessel's carrying two types of equipment: One is the personal vehicles, belongings of service members who are going to serve in U.S. forces in Europe," Petsonk told reporters.

"The other is military equipment, including defensive capability equipment, medical vehicles for providing medical supplies to injured."

Vehicles, medical supplies and temporary bridges would be offloaded at the German North Sea port of Bremerhaven and then transported over land to Ukraine, Petsonk said.

"Ukraine desperately needs medical supplies and capability to move those supplies into the country to the points where they are needed, and that's what these vehicles will provide."

(Reporting by Bart Biesemans, writing by Sabine Siebold)

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