Background
In September 2021, our team faced an unprecedented logistics challenge: transporting COVID-19 vaccines from the factory in Wuhan of China to Peru in South America. Due to the absence of direct flights from Wuhan to Peru, we had to design a complex multimodal transportation plan to ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccines throughout the journey.
Transportation Plan Design
1. Land Transport from Wuhan to Shenzhen
- Distance:Approximately 1000 kilometers
- Transport Vehicle: Used refrigerated vehicles compliant with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards
- Time: Estimated to be completed within 24 hours
- Challenge: Ensuring that any stops or checks on the highway did not affect the cold chain conditions of the vaccines
2. Land Transport from Shenzhen to Hong Kong
- Distance:About 40 kilometers
- Transport Method:Through land border crossings
- Time:Estimated to be completed within 4 hours
- Challenge:Close coordination with customs of both locations was required to ensure rapid clearance while complying with special health regulations during COVID-19
2. Air Transport from Hong Kong to Peru
- Flight Selection:Chose airlines with good cold chain facilities
- Time:Estimated to reach Peru within 20 hours
- Challenge:During the transfer in Hong Kong, the vaccines had to be swiftly moved from land to air transport while maintaining an uninterrupted cold chain