A Canadian soldier carries supplies as troops arrive at a medical centre in Port-au-Prince. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Dozens of crew members from the Canadian naval vessels HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax started going ashore on Tuesday to help with relief efforts in two Haitian towns.

Sixty-person teams were taken to shore in speed boats while the big ships remained at sea.

Sailors from the Athabaskan headed for a beach just a few kilometres from Léogâne, a small city at the epicentre of last week's devastating earthquake. They were accompanied by heavily armed soldiers wearing bulletproof vests.

"They don't know what to expect, and that's one of the reasons why they're taking heavy security with them," said Rob Gordon, a CBC reporter aboard the Athabaskan.

The beach was initially deserted when the first sailors reached shore, but soon a crowd of about 400 Haitians had formed, pleading for bottles of water, Gordon said.

In addition to helping distribute food and water, the sailors will assist in administering basic first aid at makeshift clinics in the city, he added.

The Halifax and Athabaskan, loaded with relief supplies, arrived off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday morning.

The destroyer Athabaskan docked near Léogâne, while the frigate Halifax dropped anchor off Jacmel, about 30 kilometres southwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital.

Halifax sailors help DART

Eighty sailors from HMCS Halifax were sent to shore to help members of Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART, set up a medical facility and water purification unit in Jacmel, according to Cmdr. Josée Kurtz.

The sailors brought shovels, generators and other tools to help them clear rubble blocking major roads into Jacmel, Kurtz told CBC News. They also brought 300 to 500 litres of water, as well as blankets, canned goods and homemade buns to help with humanitarian relief, she said.

Safety is a top concern, and each team has sailors responsible for security, Kurtz said.

"In order for my work parties to be able to provide the help that the population of Haiti needs and to do that in a secure environment without having to worry about perhaps some unfortunate incident that would stop the work, it is necessary to make sure that these sailors are safe and secure," Kurtz said.

500 aboard two ships

The two ships and their combined crew of 500 left Halifax on Thursday. The sailors have been busy training and preparing supplies for their mission.

DART is based in Jacmel. About 60 soldiers were flown in by helicopter on Monday because the roads were blocked.

The majority of the DART members will be in the town on Tuesday to help with medical aid and supply clean water.

An additional 1,000 Canadian Forces personnel are being sent to Haiti. On Monday, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canada has delivered some 313 tonnes of aid and equipment to Haiti as part of Canada's relief effort.

Meanwhile, 12 Canadians have been confirmed dead and 849 are still unaccounted for in Haiti since the quake a week ago, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.