COVID-19 Response Operations

May 4, 2020 | COVID19 Response

When a crisis strikes, we deliver health products, cold chain pharmaceuticals, emergency relief items, vehicles, hazardous goods and construction equipment into the most challenging regions of the world.

For over 25 years Greenshields Cowie and its parent company supported the UK government with life-saving expertise and capacity to respond globally to all types of humanitarian crises through the quickest possible mechanism. Our continuous ability to respond quickly to emergencies has helped to relieve suffering and maintain dignity of those affected by crisis situations. Our people go the extra mile to ensure products reach the people who most urgently need them. Using cloud-based technology and a well-established, pre-screened supplier network, we find fast and reliable logistics solutions in times of crisis.

Greenshields Cowie has been supporting major world donors, governments and NGOs in their COVID-19 emergency response activities. Our operations to date include:

  • 250 tons of PPE cargo, including swabs, test kits, and hand sanitizer
  • 225 shipments handled, 69 completed with a 156 in progress
  • Working with standard airfreight, couriers and a combination of GSC contracted charters, MOD flights and FCO contracted moves.
  • 180,000 bars of soap loaded on trucks destined for Syria
  • Our parent company has purchased over half a million items of PPE and over 100,000 test kits.

Our COVID-19 Logistics Offering:

  • Customs clearance (origin and destination)
  • Documentation Management
  • Expediting
  • International logistics solutions
  • Transporting essential equipment and supplies e.g. testing kits, personal protective wear, disinfectant, thermometers, laboratory equipment and respirators to final destinations
  • Insurance
  • Export packing and consolidation
  • Special handling of goods (temperature controlled and dangerous goods)
  • GDP-compliant transportation processes in the movement of pharmaceuticals
  • Warehousing
  • Inspecting and providing quality assurance on goods and supplies
  • Continuous reporting using cloud-based technology

Supporting the UK Government 

We’re incredibly pleased to be contributing to the distribution of vaccines donated by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office across the globe. By managing these deliveries we are ensuring the timely and safe arrival of the vaccines – overcoming extreme logistical challenges to avoid any spoilages.

At a time when COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the globe, Crown Agents is thrilled to be managing the complex logistics of these four million vaccines, ensuring they reach destinations including: 
  • Indonesia
  • Jamaica
  • Kenya
  • Guyana
  • Laos
  • Cambodia
  • Vietnam
  • Malaysia
  • Belize
  • Philippines
  • Thailand

To speak with one of our Emergency Logistics Experts, call +447825981185 or email Graeme Kelly, Director – Logistics and Freight Forwarding at Graeme.kelly@greenshieldscowie.com

Past Response Operations

SIERRA LEONE: During the 2014 Ebola epidemic, we were on the frontline of efforts responding to crisis which involved the delivery of 2,000 tons of emergency aid into Freetown and 130 charter flights to Sierra Leone during the course of the response. In total 10 million individual line items were collected from 240 suppliers worldwide, consolidated in the UK and flown to Lungi Airport for distribution to 6 x 100 bed Ebola Treatment Centres.

NEPAL: After the Nepal earthquake, we arranged air charters carrying 10,095 Kgs of shelter kits from Karachi to Kathmandu. Our emergency out of hours’ staff completed all paperwork for the first air charter carrying fire and rescue equipment within just four hours.

CARIBBEAN: In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, we shipped 827 tons of urgent humanitarian supplies across the region, including 210,065 Kgs of emergency relief items (shelter kits, hygiene kits, kitchen sets, cutting equipment, jerry cans, water treatment tablets, hardware lighting towers and corrugated roof sheeting).

HAITI: Following Hurricane Matthew, we delivered 5,200 shelter kits, 1,907 buckets, 5,000 Solar lights, 2,010 Lifesaver Water Purification units by airfreight into Haiti. A further 47 containers of corrugated iron sheeting were delivered by sea freight.