Mercy Ships Cargo Day has been running for two years, and is a fundraising campaign that asks the shipping industry to unite on one specific day (October 3) to donate cargoes, commissions, address commissions and individual pledges to Mercy Ships. The money raised helps to fund Mercy Ships' medical programmes in every country that its hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, visits. Last year, ship owners, charterers, brokers, port agents and inspection companies united to donate more than £500,000 to the charity.
Mercy Ships is looking to exceed that target in 2018, and is now calling on the air cargo industry to partner with it for Cargo Day, in order to bring urgent medical care to people in Africa who desperately need it. Airbridge International Agencies is the first UK air cargo company to respond to that call.
Mark Andrew, Chief Executive Officer, Airbridge International Agencies, said: “For AIA it just looked like a perfect match to find a charity that is involved in logistics like us. With Mercy Ships, you are giving to an organisation that is actively going out to different places to heal people – be it children or adults – so every day is different.
“AIA is one of the largest independent cargo General Sales Agents, and we represent a number of airlines that can potentially offer airfreight capacity for urgent needs that perhaps the shipping industry cannot match in terms of transit time. Our aim is to get the airfreight industry involved in Mercy Ships Cargo Day alongside us, and see if we can get some additional donations.”