Abu Dhabi Ports has announced the acquisition of 11 new specialised refrigerated vehicles by its subsidiary, MICCO Logistics, aiming to enhance the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Covid-19 vaccine supply chain as well as enhance its overall capabilities.
The acquisition, which is part of a broader strategy to expand and diversify MICCO’s growing vehicle fleet, boosts its local final-mile vaccine delivery capability to over 1.1 million vaccine doses per day, according to a statement.
The new fleet will be equipped with complete data loggers and advanced temperature monitoring, being capable of carrying vaccines, medical equipment, or pharmaceutical products from Abu Dhabi Ports’ 19,000m² cold and ultra-cold storage facility located at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) to healthcare centres across the UAE.
In addition, the trucks have been fitted with cooling equipment to support the handling of vaccines requiring a temperature range of 2°C to 8°C, as well as -80°C with the addition of specialised packaging.
AD Ports believes the addition will support the work of the Hope Consortium, an Abu Dhabi-led public-private partnership developed to deliver large quantities of Covbid-19 vaccines locally and globally from its hub in the country.
Additionally, the expansion of the fleet extends Abu Dhabi Ports’ scope of services, as well as its range of supply-chain solutions for last-mile delivery certified by licence from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), according to an announcement.
Supporting the Consortium’s mission, the vehicles are connected to “mUnity,” Maqta Gateway’s digital blockchain-enabled solution, which tracks the journey of vaccines through the supply chain in real-time, ensuring safe, transparent and efficient product delivery to any location, added AD Ports.
“The investment in advanced technology places Abu Dhabi in a strong position to not only offer extended services to its healthcare sector partners, but also fulfil the goal of the Hope Consortium to end the pandemic and help chart a sustainable pathway to recovery,” commented Robert Sutton, head of the logistics cluster at AD Ports.
