NAPLES, Italy (USTCNS) --- A U.S. Navy contracted cargo ship off-loaded U.S. Army helicopters and other supplies at Koper, Slovenia-the first time the port has been used for a major Stabilization Force or SFOR equipment deployment.

The move is part of a scheduled deployment of military hardware referred to as "SFOR-10"- the upcoming rotation of the 29th Infantry Division, a National Guard unit comprised of units from Maryland and Virginia, to peacekeeping duties in Bosnia.

MV Express, a Liberian flagged roll-on/roll-off ship, contracted for the mission by the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, deployed 20 UH-60 'Blackhawk' and 16 OH-58 'Warrior' helicopters at Koper on the Adriatic coast Sept.1. An additional 5,000 tons of military supplies was also off-loaded.

Meanwhile, another chartered ship, the MV BBC Canada, off-loaded additional SFOR cargo at Bremerhaven, Germany. From there, the equipment will be sent into Bosnia-Herzegovina by rail. The port of Bremerhaven, located in northern Germany is the strategic access point for military equipment into Europe. Military Traffic Management Command's (MTMC) 950th U.S. Army Transportation Company is located at Bremerhaven and responsible for discharging, staging, and the disposition of this equipment.

Both ships loaded cargo at the Howland Hook Terminal located at Staten Island, N.Y earlier this month. MV Express also loaded at Beaumont, Texas.

According to the U.S. Army' 21st Theater Support Command, while nearby Rijeka, Croatia, is a common access point for equipment rotations into Bosnia, Army commanders decided to utilize Koper's port for SFOR rotations, to provide an alternate access point into the Balkans, therefore providing commanders with more flexibility.

To cite another example, the U.S. Army recently opened Bourgas, Bulgaria, for equipment deployments in and out of Kosovo, offering commanders choices in seeking access points to the region.

Further, Slovenia's extensive railway network and modern highways make it easy for convoys and equipment to be moved into theater. Since its independence in 1991 from the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia has gained political stability, and is now a likely candidate for membership in the European Union.

MTMC's 839th Transportation Battalion will be on the ground in Koper to off-load the ships, and get the equipment on its way to Bosnia. Both MSC and MTMC are partners under the U.S. Transportation Command, and have worked closely together facilitating the movement of thousands of tons of cargo in and out of the Balkans. MSC routinely contracts private cargo vessels to move equipment as a cost saving measure.

(FROM 598TH TRANSPORTATION GROUP AND MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND, EUROPE PUBLIC AFFAIRS)