MANAF FREIGHTERS ORDERS FOUR SOLAR SHIP AIRCRAFT TO CONNECT REMOTE AREAS
Sept. 20, 2016
Tuesday, September 20th, 9am EST – Today, Manaf Freighters (Manaf) announced an agreement to purchase four Solar Ship aircraft, including two short take-off and landing Caracal aircraft and two Wolverine aircraft to be used for cargo delivery and disaster relief in remote areas in East and Central Africa. The two Wolverine aircraft can carry a 20-foot shipping container with a minimum payload of 5 tonnes.
The purchase is part of Solar Ship and Manaf’s joint venture, Peace & Freedom Services. The venture connects people in the Great Lakes Africa region with global logistics and provides critical cargo: food, clothing, medical supplies, and basic necessities. Part of Manaf’s investment in the joint venture includes two DC3 aircraft that offer long range service to connect South Africa with disconnected areas in East and Central Africa.
“I would like to thank Solar Ship for all their efforts in developing this unique flying technology. It will have great impact in Africa. I must also thank their Canadian government supporters, SDTC [Sustainable Development Technology Canada] and the BCIP [Build in Canada Innovation Program] for making Peace & Freedom Services a reality,” says Manaf CEO, Fred Nimubona. “Without their support, we would not have been able to see the multiple demonstrations of Solar Ship technology. The need for Peace & Freedom Services is immediate in our region. Many lives are being lost and our joint venture promises to improve the quality of life in regions that have, up until now, been inaccessible or diminished by war.”
Solar Ship’s Director of Africa Operations, Michel Rugema, says, “We have been working with Manaf since 2014 to establish their requirements and to develop the right aircraft for their needs. The goal of our platform is to access areas where there is no infrastructure so we can help people in their daily lives and unleash their economic potential. Both sides of the partnership know the Great Lakes region of Africa well. Manaf has vast experience and an established network— Solar Ship is ready to start deploying with them in Africa in 2017.”
ABOUT SOLAR SHIP
Solar Ship Inc. is a Canadian company with its head office in Toronto. Operations are in Brantford, Ontario, Cape Town, Lusaka, Kampala, and in Shenzhen, China through strategic partner Kuang-Chi Science. Solar Ship develops hybrid aircraft to service cut-off places. The aircraft uses two forms of lift: static lift, generated by buoyant gas like an airship, combined with the aerodynamic lift of a wing. This creates the capacity to fly large loads into areas without infrastructure and it enables the aircraft to fly without the use of fossil fuels. It has extremely short takeoff and landing capabilities, making Solar Ship a new class of aviation, with the lifting capacity of a truck and the performance of a bush plane.
ABOUT MANAF
Located in Nairobi, Bukavu and Bujumbura, Manaf uses bush planes to service the interior of Africa, an area with a population of 400 million people and rapid growth. Flying into remote areas in the DRC, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, Manaf works with local entrepreneurs, UN agencies and NGOs to bring food and medical supplies to people who do not have regular access to cargo services.
For more information, contact: Michel Rugema, Director of Africa Operations T: (416) 368.3336 [email protected]
Tuesday, September 20th, 9am EST – Today, Manaf Freighters (Manaf) announced an agreement to purchase four Solar Ship aircraft, including two short take-off and landing Caracal aircraft and two Wolverine aircraft to be used for cargo delivery and disaster relief in remote areas in East and Central Africa. The two Wolverine aircraft can carry a 20-foot shipping container with a minimum payload of 5 tonnes.
The purchase is part of Solar Ship and Manaf’s joint venture, Peace & Freedom Services. The venture connects people in the Great Lakes Africa region with global logistics and provides critical cargo: food, clothing, medical supplies, and basic necessities. Part of Manaf’s investment in the joint venture includes two DC3 aircraft that offer long range service to connect South Africa with disconnected areas in East and Central Africa.
“I would like to thank Solar Ship for all their efforts in developing this unique flying technology. It will have great impact in Africa. I must also thank their Canadian government supporters, SDTC [Sustainable Development Technology Canada] and the BCIP [Build in Canada Innovation Program] for making Peace & Freedom Services a reality,” says Manaf CEO, Fred Nimubona. “Without their support, we would not have been able to see the multiple demonstrations of Solar Ship technology. The need for Peace & Freedom Services is immediate in our region. Many lives are being lost and our joint venture promises to improve the quality of life in regions that have, up until now, been inaccessible or diminished by war.”
Solar Ship’s Director of Africa Operations, Michel Rugema, says, “We have been working with Manaf since 2014 to establish their requirements and to develop the right aircraft for their needs. The goal of our platform is to access areas where there is no infrastructure so we can help people in their daily lives and unleash their economic potential. Both sides of the partnership know the Great Lakes region of Africa well. Manaf has vast experience and an established network— Solar Ship is ready to start deploying with them in Africa in 2017.”
ABOUT SOLAR SHIP
Solar Ship Inc. is a Canadian company with its head office in Toronto. Operations are in Brantford, Ontario, Cape Town, Lusaka, Kampala, and in Shenzhen, China through strategic partner Kuang-Chi Science. Solar Ship develops hybrid aircraft to service cut-off places. The aircraft uses two forms of lift: static lift, generated by buoyant gas like an airship, combined with the aerodynamic lift of a wing. This creates the capacity to fly large loads into areas without infrastructure and it enables the aircraft to fly without the use of fossil fuels. It has extremely short takeoff and landing capabilities, making Solar Ship a new class of aviation, with the lifting capacity of a truck and the performance of a bush plane.
ABOUT MANAF
Located in Nairobi, Bukavu and Bujumbura, Manaf uses bush planes to service the interior of Africa, an area with a population of 400 million people and rapid growth. Flying into remote areas in the DRC, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, Manaf works with local entrepreneurs, UN agencies and NGOs to bring food and medical supplies to people who do not have regular access to cargo services.
For more information, contact: Michel Rugema, Director of Africa Operations T: (416) 368.3336 [email protected]