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SINGAPORE – Singapore wants to become a Covid-19 vaccine distribution hub for the region, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday night (December 12).
He said that the Republic has the capabilities to ensure that the process is safe and that there is adequate capacity.
“Some countries, of course, would prefer direct delivery because they will think it is faster, so point-to-point delivery. But I think there is also a case to say that a place like Singapore. With our Changi family, we can also play a role as a distribution and transportation center to the region, ”he said.
“I don’t think they are mutually exclusive.”
Mr. Ong was speaking to the media at a cold chain management facility run by cargo handler Sats after welcoming the arrival of the first batch of the Covid-19 vaccine to Singapore.
“Our staff, our logistics companies, all have been trained to World Health Organization standards to be able to handle all of this cargo safely,” said Mr. Ong.
“In terms of capacity, we have quite a large capacity … more than adequate to handle temperature controlled cargo.”
Mr Ong said the estimated cargo movement for vaccines is around 65,000 tons worldwide, but local handler Sats handled more than 300,000 tons of temperature-controlled shipments in the last year alone.
The Republic also has the support of firms that include logistics giants DHL, UPS and FedEx, as well as pharmaceutical companies.
“Everything has to fit together,” Mr. Ong said. “We have worked on it for several months and we will continue to work on it.”
There is hope that positioning Singapore as a hub for vaccine transport could give the battered aviation sector another boost as it seeks to continue its gradual recovery.
In recent months, the air cargo industry in Singapore has stepped up preparations to safely transport Covid-19 vaccines in a controlled constant temperature environment.
In October, the Singapore Civil Aviation Authority and the Changi Airport Group (CAG) established an 18-member working group to seek process improvement.
Ong said they had been identifying potential challenges and trying to address them even before a vaccine was produced.
“One example was when they realized that the Pfizer vaccine requires minus 70 degrees C storage, they began to observe the production of dry ice,” said Mr. Ong.
“So today, Sats can produce 4 tons of dry ice every day at its … own facilities.”
This work, which also involved testing, has helped ensure that the first shipment of the Covid-19 vaccine reached Singapore safely, Mr Ong said.
He said the shipment was a joint effort that involved several organizations, including the Economic Development Board and the Ministry of Health.
Singapore Airlines (SIA), which transported the vaccine from Brussels in its cargo plane, said on Monday that it was honored to be able to play its role in a major milestone in the fight against Covid-19.
Senior Vice President of Cargo Chin Yau Seng said: “It also served to demonstrate the readiness of the SIA and Singapore Air Center for the all-important job of transporting and distributing Covid-19 vaccines internationally.”
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