2 be


Issue 6 2020 - Freight Business Journal >> 1 vaccines need to transported


at ultra-low temperatures, but the sheer scale of the operation is also unprecedented. While vaccines for many diseases such as Polio have been rolled out worldwide in the past, this was a much more gradual process than the Covid campaign. Up to 200,000 pallets and 15


million deliveries in cooling boxes as well as 15,000 flights will be required for the Covid vaccine. Ellmann explained that to achieve stable temperatures of -80°C, “we cannot do it in transport by electrical cooling only” which rules out relying solely on temperature- controlled airfreight containers. “We will need a combination of dry ice and specialised packaging. The availability of this will be crucial, along with temperature loggers.” The problems would be


particularly challenging in the least-developed world, he said. At key transit points, specialised


freezers, or at least dry-ice solutions, could be set up to store the vaccine pending onward distribution. Great care would also have to be taken to ensure that the temperature


was maintained during ‘last mile’ transportation, said Ellmann. As the materials and packaging


are expensive, and even potentially environmentally damaging if


discarded, it would also be


important to set up a ‘return loop’ to get the material back to origin. Nevertheless, Ellmann told FBJ, “I think most of the problems are solvable, but it does call for people to work together.” The white paper also points out


that super-low temperatures might only be needed during the early stages of shipping the vaccine. As more experience and stability data is obtained, it should eventually be possible to move to a more normal temperature range. To kick start the dialogue among


the different actors and improve pandemic resilience, DHL says it is providing a framework in the white paper for the cooperation of logistics companies with authorities, politicians, NGOs and the life sciences industry to ensure the most stable and safe supply chains possible. Besides an emergency response plan, this includes a partnership


network, strong physical logistics infrastructure and IT-enabled supply chain transparency. DHL chief commercial officer,


Katja Busch, explained: “To protect lives


against the pandemic,


governments have moved towards a more active role in medical supply chains. Over the past few months, we have demonstrated that sufficient


planning and


appropriate partnerships within the supply chain can play a key role as governments work to secure critical medical supplies during health emergencies such as this.” A response unit with a clear


mandate should also be put in place to implement all critical activities at short notice, she said. Ellmann also hopes that a


shortage of airfreight capacity and consequent hike in air freight rates can be avoided when the vaccine is shipped worldwide.


“Capacity


is slowly coming back, though perhaps not to the extent of pre- Covid levels, and also the vaccine will be coming from different places – the US, Europe, India and possibly Russia and China - and will be spread across different


The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is urging governments to begin careful planning to ensure full preparedness to move Covid vaccines, and warned of potentially severe capacity constraints. Director general and chief


executive, Alexandre de Juniac said that while there are still many


Airliſt will be industry greatest task, IATA warns re-purposing of existing


unknowns, including the number of doses, temperature sensitivities or manufacturing locations, it is clear that the scale of activity will be vast, that cold chain facilities will be required and that delivery to every corner of the planet will be needed. Priorities include temperature- controlled facilities and


infrastructure and


trade lanes.” In contrast, the surge in shipments of PPE earlier in the year happened at short notice and manufacture was heavily concentrated on a single country, China. The big question now, says


Ellmann, is when the vaccine will gain government approval and start to be shipped in large volumes – possibly the fourth quarter of the year, or it may be early 2021. The need to envelop the vaccine


in dry ice could increase the weight of shipments, but not necessarily volume. The use of multi-shot vials and the fact that needles and the fact that vaccines shipped at -80°C would, of necessity, not be shipped as kits of one dose plus needle and syringe would make them less volumetric than many other vaccines. European and Middle Eastern


operators of freighter aircraſt have increased limits on the amount of dry ice that can be carried on each flight and other carriers might consider doing the same, Ellmann added. h t t p s : / /www. d h l . c om/ pandemic-resilience


theſt. It will also be essential to ensure


equipment - maximizing the use or


minimizing


temporary builds; availability of staff trained to handle time- and temperature-sensitive vaccines; and robust monitoring capabilities. Arrangements must also be in


place to ensure that shipments remain secure from tampering and


timely regulatory approvals, adequate security measures, appropriate handling and customs clearance. This could be a particular challenge given that, as part of Covid prevention measures, many


governments have put


in place measures that increase processing times. P r ior i t ie s


3 >>


News Roundup


MSC is offering an enhanced Casablanca, Morocco to London Gateway service with a transit time of about 12 days. This is in addition to its twice-weekly sailings from Tunis to London Gateway via Gioia Tauro in Italy with a transit time of about 16 days.


Containerships has added a call in Cork to its weekly BENI service between Rotterdam and Dublin. It departs Rotterdam on Saturday arriving in Cork, via Dublin, on Tuesday, before returning to Rotterdam.


Containerships has added a weekly, Friday call in Gijon, northern Spain to its service to Dublin and Liverpool. Scheduled to arrive at APM Terminals Gijon in time for a Friday departure, the vessel will arrive in Liverpool on Monday and Dublin on Tuesday. The service is suitable for all types of containerized cargo, including hazardous cargo. The service is supported by over 60 dedicated trains per week serving the Spanish hinterland.


ABP Ayr and Troon manager Stuart Cresswell has been elected as chairman of the Scottish Ports Group. He replaces Clydeport director Andrew Hemphill, who is retiring aſter over 30 years in the industry.


Associated British Ports (ABP) has appointed Andy Reay to its commercial team to lead the development of its offshore wind solutions. He takes up the role in October.


The British Ports Association is calling for evidence for a new Autonomous Shipping in Ports Network. It will consider, among other issues, changes to land-sea interface at and around ports, the physical and digital infrastructure required, safety implications and regulatory powers.


The Coastlink Conference scheduled for November 2020 in Antwerp is to be postponed to 21-22 April 2021. This is due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19 and restrictions that remain in place in Belgium.


Robert Courts has been appointed Minister at the Department for Transport following Kelly Tolhurst’s move to Housing Minister to fill a gap created by the resignation of Simon Clarke. He takes up the maritime and aviation portfolios. Mr Courts is MP for Witney, and has previously been a member of the House of Commons’ Transport Select Committee. He was also the parliamentary private secretary to the Environment Secretary before his appointment as Minister.


Maersk is launching Maersk Flow - a digital platform which allows customers and their partners to take control of their supply chain, from factory to market. The solution offers transparency in critical supply chain processes and ensures that the flow of goods and documents is executed as planned. It also reduces manual work and costly mistakes, and offers current and historical data to improve supply chains.


APM Terminals has signed contracts with China Harbour Engineering Company for the construction of Abidjan’s second container terminal, Côte d’Ivoire Terminal, scheduled to be operational at the end of 2021. A joint venture between Bolloré and APMT will invest €400m in the construction and equipment. It will add an additional 1.2 million teu capacity a year and will have a maximum draſt of -18 metres.


Hapag-Lloyd has unveiled a Customer Dashboard allowing users to access performance information based on their business with the shipping line such as booking response, production of bills of lading, timely and invoicing and loading. Another six quality promises will be introduced on a quarterly basis until the end of 2021, all of them also fully trackable via the Dashboard.


PSA Antwerp and PSA Breakbulk have set up a new log handling system at the Belgian port’s Churchill Terminal. Logs are loaded into a customised frame before being moved between ship and storage area by specialised handler.


///NEWS Sea


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