DHL is providing logistical support for an expedition investigating a submerged object that could be linked to the aircraft of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific nearly 90 years ago.
As the official logistics partner of the Taraia Object Expedition, DHL is transporting more than 750kg of specialist equipment and supplies to Kiribati. The equipment will support researchers investigating an underwater anomaly that could potentially be the wreckage of Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10-E.
The expedition is being conducted in partnership with Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute. Researchers will travel to Nikumaroro, an uninhabited atoll in the Phoenix Islands, to investigate the feature known as the “Taraia Object”.
The underwater anomaly has not been conclusively identified, but researchers believe it could be connected to Earhart’s aircraft.
DHL is moving three shipments comprising 33 boxes, bags and tubs containing more than 100 pieces of equipment. The consignments are travelling from Eugene, Oregon, and Pensacola, Florida, to Bonriki International Airport in Tarawa, Kiribati.
The equipment includes underwater drones, side-scan sonar, magnetometers, diving equipment, GPS and navigation systems, solar panels, communications technology and environmental monitoring equipment, alongside field supplies.
DHL teams worked with expedition organisers to prepare and inspect the shipments, including managing special transportation requirements for lithium batteries and other regulated components.
The company coordinated DHL-operated and commercial flights through the US and onwards to Tarawa, with support from teams in Los Angeles and across its Americas and Asia Pacific networks. From Tarawa, the expedition team is expected to travel by sea to Nikumaroro.
Once on site, researchers plan to use sonar, magnetometers, remote-sensing technology and underwater excavation techniques to investigate the Taraia Object and search the surrounding area for further evidence.
Greg Hewitt, chief executive of DHL Express US, said the operation demonstrated the role of logistics in supporting complex scientific expeditions.
“Nearly 90 years after Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared, researchers are still working to find answers. As the Official Logistics Partner of the Taraia Object Expedition, our role is to get the technology and specialised equipment behind that effort where they need to be.”
Earhart disappeared on 2 July 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. She was travelling from Lae, in present-day Papua New Guinea, towards Howland Island when contact was lost.
Despite decades of searches, neither her aircraft nor the circumstances of her disappearance have been conclusively established. The Taraia Object Expedition is now using modern underwater technology to investigate a potential new lead.
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