Regiment prepares to roll out vehicles

(CMR) Last week a number of support vehicles arrived for the Cayman Islands Regiment, just in time for peak hurricane season. The shipment consisted of the following:-

MAN HX60 4×4 Drop Side Cargo Truck x 2

MAN 4×4 HX60 Crane Truck

Mercedes Unimog U1300L x 2

Volvo 4200 Wheeled Loader

Karcher TFK 250 army mobile field kitchen trailer

Lt Theo Kelly, the Regiment's Motor Transport Officer who was involved in the logistics of moving the vehicles to Cayman said “It’s great to see this equipment here, it was a huge team effort getting it to Cayman and we’d like to thank the Port Authority for all their assistance. The vehicles will make a massive difference in our ability to deploy troops and supplies across the island in case of an emergency situation.”

Lt Col Simon Watson the Commanding Officer of the CIR said “These support vehicles are vital for our ability to operate safely and effectively in times of emergency. They are 4×4 capable and can wade through over 3ft of water making them able to support evacuations during flooding as we’ve seen recently in Tropical Storm Eta. These vehicles would have cost over a million dollars new, but we have purchased well-maintained, used vehicles which cost $379,869, providing a cost-saving of over $620,000 to the Government. The vehicles were fully serviced and repainted before being shipped, preparing them for a number of years of use in Cayman. The CIR will always work to minimize costs to the public purse whilst preparing to provide Cayman with disaster relief support.

Another shipment containing spare parts, generators and trailers is on its way to Cayman and is expected in August. The vehicles in the port are currently clearing customs and will be received by the Regiment in the next week or so.