Rachael White, Managing Director, Cool Logistics Resources and Nick Savvides, Managing Editor, Container News, welcome and introduce this podcast series based on the event Containing Covid-19: Containerisation's role in global vaccine logistics. 

While the first wave of ultra-low temperature COVID19 vaccine distribution has been centered around airfreight and road, sea freight, containerisation and multimodal logistics are already playing a vital role. Over the coming months and years, that will only grow.

Today, container shipping is already enabling the international distribution of syringes, vials, PPE and other key ancillary medical equipment needed to administer vaccines. Container ports are stepping up as vaccine logistics hubs, working with airfreight, ocean and landside logistics to provide much-needed cold storage capacity and other supply chain services.

Specialist ultra-deep freeze refrigerated containers are already filling a gap where cold chain infrastructure is lacking. And as new vaccines are rolling out rapidly that do not require such deep refrigeration, reefer containers will have a key role both in transport and storage, as they have done for some years now with increased conversion of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical cargoes from air to sea freight.

This online seminar and virtual networking event connects public and private stakeholders across the global container shipping, cold chain logistics and healthcare worlds to discuss the challenges and opportunities of containerised vaccine logistics at a time

This podcase series has 3 major inter-related areas of focus:

1) Outlook for container logistics to support the global vaccine distribution effort across multimodal (cold) chains across sea and land (and in conjunction with air)

2) Safe and compliant carriage of COVID19 vaccines – legal, insurance, risk, liability and technology aspects

3) Vaccination programmes and health security protocols/regulations / technology for seafarers, port personnel and other key workers