DUBAI: January 18, 2017. DP World has announced it is joining Agility, Maersk and UPS, who together with TNT formed the Logistics Emergency Teams (LET), to help provide humanitarian logistics support in response to major disasters.

DP World signed a MoU with the World Food Programme (WFP) to join the group during the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, where the LET initiative began in 2005.

The company said it would provide shipment and storage of aid, plus selected employees in disaster-prone countries who have received specialized humanitarian logistics training.

The LET was the first partnership to combine the capacity and resources of the logistics industry with the expertise and experience of the humanitarian community to provide more effective and efficient disaster relief.

The LET teams are coordinated by the WFP's Logistics Cluster that facilitates access to common logistics services for all organizations responding to a humanitarian emergency.

Stephen Cahill, WFP Global Logistics Cluster coordinator explained: "Through the Logistics Emergency Teams, the WFP-led Logistics Cluster has access to the largest global network of transportation and logistics expertise, meaning life-saving assistance can be provided more quickly and efficiently following natural disasters."

Cahill said response during the first phase of any humanitarian crisis is highly important for how local communities are impacted in the long term, and he thought DP World would help support vital strategic relief efforts.

DP World chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem added: "We take our responsibility to society very seriously, and by joining the Logistics Emergency Teams we can play a key role as part of a coordinated response across the trade and logistics industry. This crucial collaboration helps protect lives and we are pleased to be a part of it."