The Logistics Cluster activities aim to provide the humanitarian community with the logistics capabilities and coordination mechanisms to deliver life-saving relief assistance to the populations in Somalia’s drought affected regions. Based on the initial logistics gaps and bottlenecks identified, the activities of the Logistics Cluster will include:

1. Logistics Coordination and Information Management

A Logistics Cluster coordination cell for Somalia has been established in Nairobi, Kenya, with a dedicated Logistics Cluster Coordinator to facilitate the overall response strategy, including optimizing the use of logistics assets aiming to ensure an uninterrupted supply of life saving relief items to the affected population. The Logistics Cluster will liaise closely with the other organizations and facilitate regular Logistics Cluster meetings and publish records of decisions taken on behalf of the Humanitarian Community. The Logistics Cluster will have dedicated information management capacity, within this capacity, the Logistics Cluster will consolidate information on the overall logistics situation from the humanitarian community and local authorities, identifying logistics gaps and bottlenecks. Additionally, the Logistics Cluster will disseminate vital information through the Horn of Africa – Somalia Famine page at: http://www.logcluster.org/ops/som11a.

2. Logistics Cluster Services

Warehousing and Staging Grounds
The Logistics Cluster is working on obtaining transit warehouse space available to the Humanitarian Community in Mogadishu Port at no cost. The Logistics Cluster will in addition make available to the humanitarian community a limited number of Mobile Storage Units to be allocated as per requirements in different areas inside Somalia or in neighboring countries to facilitate cross-border operations. The Logistics Cluster will stand ready to set up staging areas at specific locations decided with participating organizations, to act as consolidation points for humanitarian cargo. In common staging areas, services will include handling, consolidation, tracking, and loading services (free on truck) to the users. All cargo transported and stored will be handled as per the priorities set by the Humanitarian Country Team. All specified services will be provided at no cost to humanitarian organizations.

Sea Transport
The Logistics Cluster will offer sea transport to the Humanitarian Community. A vessel will be contracted on a time charter basis for the transportation of life-saving relief items from Mombasa Port in Kenya to Mogadishu Port in Somalia for the humanitarian community. This will operate at no cost to the end user and will offer two rotations a month, providing a predictable and reliable service. Due to the unpredictable security situation in the region, the vessel will have an international naval escort to ensure safe passage to and from Mogadishu, Somalia. Based on need a second vessel might be chartered on an ad-hoc basis and operate out of Djibouti Port and will service Bossaso and Berbera in Somalia. This service will operate on space available and first come first serve basis and it will also be at no cost to the end user.

Famine Response

Shipping

A time-chartered vessel tasked to provide marine transport services from Mombasa to Mogadishu  is now expected to arrive in Mombasa in the second week of October. Organizations should submit Cargo Movement Requests (CMRs) to the Logistics Cluster. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and CMRs have been posted on the Somalia Logistics Cluster website. These documents are available at:
http://www.logcluster.org/ops/som11a/sop/view
http://www.logcluster.org/ops/som11a/cargo_movement_request

In the meantime, the Logistics Cluster has accommodated some CMRs on a WFP-chartered vessel scheduled to depart from Mombasa to Mogadishu in the coming weeks, and will evaluate the possibility of providing additional inter-agency cargo space on this vessel as CMRs come in. Estimated start of loading is 1 October.

Storage

The cluster is currently working on obtaining space in the Mogadishu port from the Port Authorities, positive prospects for initially two mobile storage units, but waiting for final confirmation.

2012 Strategy

After endorsement from participants, the Somalia Logistics Cluster has submitted its Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) 2012 response strategy for Somalia to OCHA. The Cluster’s 2012 strategy includes the ongoing infrastructure rehabilitation activities (including work on the Mogadishu, Bossaso and Berbera Ports), UNHAS flights to and within Somalia, and Coordination/Information Management and Logistics Common Services for the famine response.   

More Information
For inclusion in the mailing list of the logistics cluster you could contact the LogCluster Information Management officer - Mr Hamza Mohmand - hamza.mohmand@wfp.org . More info also available on: www.logcluster.org/ops/som11a