Hope Consortium expands vaccine storage capacity, creates largest ‘freezer farm’ in UAE

Abu Dhabi’s Hope Consortium has developed the largest ‘freezer farm’ in the UAE, in an attempt to boost the capital’s vaccine storage capacity in 2021.

Abu Dhabi Ports, a founding member of the Hope Consortium, recently took delivery of 32 additional ultra-cold freezers at its 19,000 sqm cold and ultra-cold storage facility located in Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), bringing the total number of freezers from 21 to 53 units.

The addition boosts the facility’s ultra-cold storage capacity from 4 million to 11.4 million doses at ultra-cold temperatures of -80°C – an increase of 185 per cent, a statement said.

The freezer farm, which describes a specific type of advanced ultra-cold storage solution within the pharmaceutical industry, complements the facility’s existing static capacity to store over 120 million vaccine vials at temperatures of 2°C to 8°C, along with storage capacity for 11,000 pallets for support materials, including syringes and other medical equipment.

Furthermore, the addition is expected to broaden Abu Dhabi Ports’ logistics capabilities, furthering the consortium’s supply chain to store and distribute all types of Covid-19 vaccines and other pharmaceutical products across all temperature ranges.

The freezers are connected to “mUnity,” Maqta Gateway’s digital blockchain-enabled solution, which tracks the journey of vaccines through the consortium’s supply chain in real-time, ensuring safe and transparent delivery to any location in the world.

The entire storage facility is also digitally connected via Maqta Gateway’s power backup systems, to securely transfer data to a master control tower dashboard that monitors all activity located on-site.

Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, group CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports, and chairman of the Executive Committee, Hope Consortium said: “By delivering well-planned logistics solutions hand-in-hand with a diversified vaccine supply chain, Abu Dhabi is ensuring a smooth flow of life-saving vaccines around the world to those who need them most.”

“With greater vaccine supplies coming on stream, the Hope Consortium is in a timely position to meet the expected surge in demand by having the largest regional capacity to store and distribute extensive quantities of vaccines across all temperature bands, especially at the ultra-cold temperature of -80°C,” said Robert Sutton, head of logistics cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports.

An Abu Dhabi-led public-private partnership delivering large quantities of Covid-19 vaccines globally, the Hope Consortium represents a complete supply chain solution to address vaccine transport, demand planning, sourcing, training, and digital technology infrastructure, to make the vaccine rapidly available across the world.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Hope Consortium to facilitate worldwide distribution of Covid-19 vaccine