Enabling India to fight the pandemic

Just as it seemed life would have a semblance of normalcy in India at the beginning of 2021, the second wave of COVID-19 hit the country with a ferocity it wasn’t prepared for. The double mutant virus B.1.617 proved to be more debilitating than the virus of the first wave. India’s healthcare system was beyond overwhelmed with patients gasping for breath queuing up outside hospital doors. The country’s oxygen supply wasn’t enough to meet the requirements of so many patients.

Under these extremely pressing times, help came in from different quarters. Organisations within and outside India, spearheaded initiatives to bring oxygen and other essentials needed to fight the pandemic. Allcargo Logistics along with its subsidiary companies, ECU Worldwide, Gati-KWE and Avvashya CCI also helped in different capacities by either collaborating with them or helping them in their various efforts.

Helping India breathe

In a coordinated effort with the NGO, Give India, and Delhi Government, Allcargo Logistics and ECU Worldwide shipped 6000 oxygen cylinders from Shanghai, China to Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). After which, Gati-KWE took over, delivering these cylinders to their required destinations in Delhi NCR.

In another similar effort, Gati-KWE again utilised its network for a good cause and distributed oxygen concentrators across the country as part of Save the Children, India’s mission, Protect A Million. The ground staff working at the hubs, and Gati-KWE’s associates, knowing the significance of this mission, put in extra efforts to ensure smooth and swift delivery.

Maharashtra, home to Mumbai – the commercial capital of India – was facing extremely high cases of COVID-19 every day because of its high population density. Allcargo and ECU Worldwide stepped in at the behest of the State Government to transport 500 oxygen cylinders from Singapore-based Temasek Foundation to distribute to hospitals.

In another initiative, the shipping industry in Mumbai came up with a special mission, ‘Fight for Mahrarashtra,’ wherein Allcargo and ECU Worldwide transported 2 million masks sponsored by the Temasek Foundation, based out of Singapore. Another 1 million masks would also be brought in from USA, China and other countries for distribution across the interiors of the state, enabling people to protect themselves.

In addition to the philanthropic activities, Avvashya CCI, the contract logistics division of Allcargo, went out of its way to help one of its customers store tons of Molecular Sieves for oxygen production at its warehouse. The customer, a big MNC, had moved these sieves by air from Germany, part of which was transported by Air Force flight C-17 (Globe Master) to Mumbai, India. To move these to the safety of Avvashya CCI’s warehouse, the staff worked round the clock, as the shipment was delivered at various times of the day, including midnight. The operations team worked in seamless coordination with the customer team to ensure faultless execution of this all-important cargo in spite of the restrictions placed by the pandemic, following all the necessary regulatory and safety protocols.

Conclusion

At this hour of need, Corporate India is rising up and joining forces to meet the challenge of COVID-19. Companies are leveraging their strengths – be it augmenting oxygen supply in factories, providing relief kits, etc. to help mitigate the situation. And Allcargo Logistics – along with ECU Worldwide, Gati-KWE and Avvashya CCI – was able to do what it does best, provide swift, reliable and safe logistics services to ensure the aid reached the destination on time – saving lives and averting catastrophes.