The Ship of Goodness, carrying 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Somalia, set sail from Mersin, Türkiye, on Sunday.
The aid operation, coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and supported by the Turkish Red Crescent and various NGOs, was loaded onto the vessel GHADA.
During the farewell ceremony, AFAD President Okay Memis highlighted Türkiye's dedication to supporting Somalia, noting that since 2016, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's patronage, the country has delivered over 60,000 tons of aid to the East African nation, which faces natural disasters such as droughts, famine, floods, and cyclones.
Memis praised the significant contributions of civil society organizations and philanthropists in this effort. After the ceremony, the ship, loaded with 130,000 food packages, hygiene products, clothing, and shelter materials, departed for Mogadishu port.
The ceremony was attended by Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Turkish Red Crescent Vice President Ramazan Saygili, AFAD Provincial Director Cenk Yildiz, and other officials.