MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 4, 2011—Nearly 14 feet long and less than two feet wide describes the measurements of just one of the “Fénix” rescue capsules used in the historic rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped 2,300 feet underground for nearly ten weeks one year ago at the San Jose Mine near Copiapó, Chile.
The Chilean Copper Corporation (CODELCO) and the Ministry of Mining for the Republic of Chile selected FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), and the world’s largest express transportation company, as the official carrier of the capsule. The life-saving “Fénix” is currently touring outside of Chile, most recently stopping for an extended display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The exhibition, “Against All Odds,” opens to the public August 5, 2011.
FedEx recently transported the capsule to Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, and then to Bochum, Germany before delivering it to the Smithsonian. Once the Smithsonian exhibit is complete, the rescue capsule and other materials from the San Jose mine site will be returned via FedEx Express to Santiago, Chile. In addition to the transport of the capsule, the FedEx Packaging Lab designed a customized shipping container used to transport the 800 lb. capsule.
“FedEx has had the honor of transporting some of the world’s most precious cargo and now we have been entrusted with transporting the Fénix capsule. We understand how valuable the Fénix capsule is to the Chilean people and the rest of the world and are proud to transport this emblem of hope. At FedEx, the Fénix capsule symbolizes the everyday values that we embrace—the importance of teamwork,” said Juan Cento, president, Latin America and Caribbean division, FedEx Express.
“The rescue of the miners through the use of the Fénix capsule brought tremendous relief to the Chilean people. It wasn’t just miners from around the world who showed solidarity with those trapped—people from every nation expressed their sympathy and concern for the miners and their families,” adds Arturo Fermandois, the Chilean ambassador to the United States.
The Fénix capsule is just one of the unusual shipments FedEx has been recently entrusted to ship. Last summer, 25,000 sea turtle eggs were transported by FedEx from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic coast in Florida. Other unusual international cargo transported by FedEx includes a windmill from Denmark, an 11,000-pound helicopter, and a five-ton communications satellite.
* Image courtesy of the Gobierno de Chile.
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