Skip to main content

South Sudan: Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), 15 April 2019

Countries
South Sudan
Sources
Logistics Cluster
+ 1 more
Publication date
Origin
View original

River Transport Services

OVERVIEW

This document provides an overview of the river transport services facilitated by the Logistics Cluster, how humanitarian actors responding to the crisis in South Sudan may access them, and the conditions under which these services are to be provided.
The objective of the river transport services is to enable responding organisations to establish an uninterrupted supply chain that supports the delivery of humanitarian relief items to affected populations. These services are not intended to replace the logistics capacities of other organisations, nor are they meant to compete with the commercial market. Rather, they are intended to fill identified gaps and to provide a last resort option in case other service providers are not available.

The Logistics Cluster in South Sudan will continue to drive efficiency in its current operations and to invest in projects to better support organisations utilising its logistics services. A 2019 priority for the Logistics Cluster is to expand its river operations to reduce the costly reliance on air transport and capitalize on the current situation which allows for more access to remote locations.
The Logistics Cluster plans to follow on the success of WFP, which is currently moving large amounts of food commodities through the country’s river networks, by offering free-to-user river transport for Non-Food Items (NFIs) to locations along the Nile and Sobat Rivers using both barges and boats.
These services are planned to be available until 31 December 2019, with the possibility of further extension. The services may be withdrawn before this date in part or in full, for any of the following reasons:

  • Changes in the situation on the ground

  • No longer an agreed upon/identified need

  • Funding constraints This document will be updated, and services provided may change as the situation evolves and operational requirements develop.

Updated versions will be shared on the South Sudan Operations page and shared via the mailing list.

All UN agencies, international humanitarian organisations, and international or national Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) registered and operating in South Sudan are eligible to use these services (“Service Users”)