PORT-AU-PRINCE – The Spanish navy ship Castilla arrived Thursday in Haiti carrying relief supplies, equipment and specialized personnel to aid victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the poorest nation in the Americas.

The vessel weighed anchor in Petit Goave, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Port-au-Prince.

Naval public affairs officer Aurelio Soto told Efe the ship is likely to remain in Haiti for around three months and that the operation will begin with reconnaissance “to locate points to carry out the unloading of material.”

“Principally we will contribute our capacity to make water potable, health support, clearing rubble and the opening of roads,” he said.

The Castilla is carrying logistical teams, 28 doctors and nurses and 450 marines to provide security, as well as trucks and earth-moving equipment.

The ship set out Jan. 22 from Rota naval base in southwestern Spain, making a stop in Puerto Rico earlier this week to take on food and fuel.

Haitian authorities say the magnitude-7.0 temblor left more than 200,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless. EFE