Hope Consortium expands its offering by adding Agility, Aramex, Hellmann, KN

December 18, 2020: Agility, Aramex, Hellmann, and Kuehne + Nagel among early freight forwarder partners onboarded to deliver billions of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses by end of 2021. The four companies involved in the Hope Consortium cover 80 percent of the world’s countries and transported over four million tonnes of air freight cargo globally last year.

The newly-launched Hope Consortium, a UAE-based public-private partnership, has bolstered its distribution reach following a strategic agreement with these freight forwarders. 

Jamal Mohammed Alkaabi, undersecretary of the department of health – Abu Dhabi, said, “The Hope Consortium’s success relies upon the collaboration of public sector entities and leading private sector companies across the global logistics supply chain. The addition of Agility, Aramex, Hellmann and Kuehne + Nagel provides solid support and expertise to address multiple challenges, including the ‘last mile’ vaccine distribution challenge. This partnership demonstrates the unrivalled global strength of Hope Consortium.”

Spearheaded by the department of health – Abu Dhabi, the Hope Consortium appointed these global transport companies based on their expert abilities to deliver vaccine doses safely under cold and ultra-cold conditions (temperature bands 2-8° C, -20° C and -80° C) between transportation hubs, warehouses, medical facilities and other final destinations in over 170 countries.

Also Read: Abu Dhabi launches Hope Consortium for global vaccine distribution

Tarek Sultan, Agility vice chairman, said, “SARS-CoV2 vaccine logistics will demand specialized handling expertise for pharma, cold-chain infrastructure and storage, an emerging markets footprint and the digital capabilities to manage advanced tracking and visibility – all areas Agility has made long-term investments in. Agility is honoured to be a global contributor to the Hope Consortium and eager to help tackle one of the great logistics challenges of our time.”

Representing the top global and Abu Dhabi supply chain solution players, the Hope Consortium consists of Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Ports, Rafed – the healthcare purchasing arm of Abu Dhabi-based ADQ and Switzerland’s award-winning SkyCell, which develops next-generation, temperature-controlled logistics containers for the pharmaceutical industry.

Martin Drew, senior vice president sales and cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, added, “The inclusion of leading freight forwarders will further strengthen the Hope Consortium proposition and elevate our global capabilities. Etihad Cargo’s strong existing partnerships with these entities, coupled with our experience in the shipment of temperature-sensitive cargo, will streamline our approach and add further confidence to a visionary collaboration. We are proud to be one of the first airlines to embark on a project of this scale.”

With over 78,000 employees at 1,400 locations in over 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group, in 2019, moved 4.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by sea freight, 1.6 million tonnes by air freight, operated 32,500 truck departures a day in Europe and managed 11.4 million square metres of logistics and warehousing space.

Robert Coyle, senior vice president, pharma & healthcare strategy, at Kuehne+Nagel, noted, “As one of the global leaders in pharma & healthcare logistics, Kuehne+Nagel has the capacity, the ability and responsibility to facilitate the global distribution of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and supporting materials with global stakeholders. By joining Hope Consortium, we bring in the Kuehne+Nagel CEIV accredited global network of cool facilities, long-standing experience of large vaccine shipments and dedicated Pharma and Healthcare specialists that will ensure fast, safe and secure transportation. We will leverage our unique strengths in the vaccine supply chain and facilitate vaccine availability across the world. We will make it happen.”

This signing will be the first of many to come to ensure that no location is too far and no logistical challenge too difficult for the safe and effective delivery of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses.