While locals battened the hatches and rode out Hurricane Igor in their homes the Oleander container ship hung off south of the storm waiting to bring fresh supplies to the Island.

Vessel Operations Manager, Blair Simmons, said the company has always strived to meet the balance between ensuring the safety of its crew and the need for goods to be delivered to the Island as soon as possible.

The ship, owned by Bermuda Container Line Ltd, normally arrives in Bermuda on Sundays at approximately 4 p.m. stocked with everything the Island needs but cannot produce itself. That includes fresh produce in their refrigerated containers as well as larger items such as cars or boats. The containers are shipped out of New York, approximately 700 miles form the Island.

This week it arrived at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, less than 36 hours after Bermuda saw winds were up to 117 mph.

"Kudos to the Captain and crew," Mr. Simmons said. "They made the decision to strike the balance between keeping themselves safe, and the ship, and doing their best to get it here as quickly as possible.

The Oleander left New York on schedule on Friday but waited 20 miles offshore assessing the situation throughout Sunday. At 9 p.m. on Saturday they made the call to take a more southerly route than usual to avoid the storm but still get here as soon as possible. They carried with them more than a dozen extra containers that shop owners had ordered on Thursday in preparation of the storm's aftermath.

On their voyage here winds were up to up to 40 knots and the ship pitching through seas Mr. Simmons described as a "washing machine". He said the crew regularly sees when it comes through winter storms to bring food and goods to the Island.