DUBAI, UAE, 2 February 2021: Dubai launched the Vaccine Logistics Alliance at the weekend to speed up distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world.
In support of the World Health Organisation’s COVAX initiative and its efforts to distribute 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines in 2021, the Dubai Vaccines Logistics Alliance combines the global reach of Emirates airline with DP World’s worldwide network of ports and logistics operations, along with the infrastructure of Dubai Airports and International Humanitarian City to distribute vaccines worldwide.
The distribution will particularly focus on countries, where populations have been hard-hit by the pandemic, and pharmaceutical transport and logistics are challenging. The alliance says it will deliver vaccine stocks to anywhere in the world within 48 hours.
The alliance is working with a broader set of stakeholders including pharmaceutical manufacturers, forwarders, government agencies and other entities for transportation of vaccines.
International Humanitarian City, the world’s largest hub for humanitarian logistics based in Dubai will be a vital partner in the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance bringing its vast expertise in humanitarian logistics for aid materials such as food and medicine in markets with limited infrastructure. IHC and Emirates SkyCargo have already partnered on many humanitarian cargo flights and earlier in 2020, also signed an MoU for closer collaboration for humanitarian assistance flights.
DP World, a leader in global supply chain solutions with ports, terminals and logistics operations on every continent, is joining Dubai’s initiative to transport, store and distribute Covid-19 vaccines. DP World logistics operations will facilitate the collection of vaccines from manufacturing sites in places like Europe, the US and India and deliver them to airports, seaports and dry ports for onward transportation.
DP World’s global, GDP-compliant, network of warehousing and distribution hubs will be used to store vaccines for time and temperature-sensitive distribution to hospitals and clinics. DP World will deploy its track-and-trace technology, such as Cargoes Flow, to give real-time information on the location of shipments, and continual temperature control and monitoring. DP World’s ports and terminals, including Jebel Ali in Dubai, which is one the largest in the world, will be used to ship, store and distribute medical devices, such as syringes and wipes.
Last week, DP World and UNICEF also announced a wide-ranging partnership to support the global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and related immunisation supplies in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The new partnership – with a multi-million dollar value – is the largest to date to support UNICEF’s lead role in procuring and supplying 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines and auxiliary vaccination supplies on behalf of the COVAX Facility.
Emirates SkyCargo is a global leader in the air transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, including vaccines. The air cargo carrier has over two decades of experience in transporting pharmaceuticals across the world and has developed extensive infrastructure and capabilities for the secure and rapid transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals.
“Emirates SkyCargo has taken a global leadership position during the Covid-19 pandemic for the distribution of medical supplies and PPE. We recently activated the world’s largest airside hub dedicated to the storage and global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. With our network reaching more than 135 cities across six continents including major pharma hubs and our expertise in handling pharma shipments, we are well placed to work with our partners in the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance to make sure that the Covid-19 vaccines are reaching every corner of the globe, especially cities in emerging markets,” said, Emirates divisional senior vice president, cargo, Nabil Sultan.
Emirates SkyCargo has over 15,000 square metres of cool chain space for pharmaceuticals across its terminals in Dubai and has already had a head start for COVID-19 vaccine logistics, having already moved Covid-19 vaccines on its flights during the month of December.
Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), will be contributing to the efforts of the newly formed Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance by providing additional space at dedicated facilities at Dubai International (DXB). The repurposed cargo facilities will act as storage for Covid-19 vaccines that will be transported through its interlinked operations at DXB and DWC. Working closely with Emirates SkyCargo and Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Airports will ensure that the additional capacity for vaccine storage meets all the stringent regulatory guidelines for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines, and that related processes are streamlined with stakeholders and business partners.
Visit: www.emirates.com
