Singapore receives first batch of Covid-19 vaccines

THE first batch of Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Singapore on Monday night, global logistics provider DHL and Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced in separate press releases on Monday.

SIA said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipment arrived in Singapore from Brussels, Belgium at approximately 7.55pm. It is the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipment to be delivered to a country in Asia.

DHL Global Forwarding arranged for the vaccines to be collected from the manufacturing site in Puurs, Belgium and transferred them to Brussels International Airport with security escort, to be placed on a cargo flight to Singapore. The vaccines were packed in thermal shipper boxes with temperature and GPS tracking for full visibility throughout the journey.

DHL handled the customs clearance at Singapore's Changi Airport and the final delivery to a designated location in Singapore, and will handle the return of the special shipper boxes to Europe.

SIA said the shipment was transported to SATS's cold-chain facility Coolport for storage and ground transportation.

The carrier conducted a shipment trial on Dec 19 using the same freighter flight route to ensure the smooth and safe delivery of the thermal shippers, track the internal temperature of each box, and measure the sublimation rate of the dry ice in the boxes.

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Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, said DHL has been preparing for months for the vaccine shipments, testing its solutions with "the most stringent vaccine requirements in mind" and running trials to ensure viability.

"Every effort was made to ensure the vaccines are delivered within the fastest possible time, ensuring the quality, safety and security of these critical shipments," he said.

Said Chin Yau Seng, senior vice-president of SIA's cargo division: "The delivery of this first batch of Covid-19 vaccines to Singapore is an important milestone in the fight against Covid-19, and we are honoured to be able to play a part in this."

He added that the delivery also demonstrates the readiness of SIA and Singapore's air hub for the job of transporting and distributing the vaccines internationally.

In a recent White Paper report, DHL estimated that up to 200,000 pallet shippers, 15 million cooling boxes and 15,000 flights will be required to provide global coverage for Covid-19 vaccine deliveries over the next two years.