Largest Delivery To Date Shipped To Iraq
A large shipment of over two hundred Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles were loaded aboard ship and headed for Iraq last week.
The new load of MRAP vehicles were put onto the USNS Pililaau, which is a medium speed, large roll on/roll off Military Sealift Command ship. The vehicles were loaded in South Carolina Thursday and headed to Iraq. This is the largest shipment to head to Iraq at one time so far.
These vehicles are shaped and made specifically to support the mission of soldiers in Iraq; the hulls are shaped to help prevent any harm coming to the occupants. They are designed to deflect any explosive charges and channel the energy away from the passenger compartment.
The Pililaau is a nine hundred foot ship that is designed to carry large amounts of cargo. The desk is larger than eight football fields and has ramps at each end and ramps between decks.
“MRAP vehicles are the tool needed, they have proven that they are effective and the best weapon against explosives and IED’s,†said Captain Richard Malloy. Malloy is the Civilian Captain of the Pililaau. “In a single load, the Pililaau can haul what would normally take a month to haul by air. It is the right delivery vehicle at the right place,†said Malloy.
The Defense Department operates the Military Sealift Command, which includes more than one hundred ten civilian crewed ships that operated in a shipping and support status for soldiers and troops.
