A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has launched a new block train dedicated to transporting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from China to Poland as mainland Europe continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The block train, a 41-container vehicle, left the Chinese city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province on 23 January, bound for Małaszewicze, Poland.
The train carried PPE procured by Polish medicals supplier Zarys International Group and commissioned by the Polish Material Reserves Agency.
The train arrived on 8 February, carrying a total of 41 high-cube containers.
Paweł Ossowski, President of the Board of ZARYS, said, “Medical equipment has never been more needed.”
“In times like these, when increased demand makes equipment and rail capacity difficult to procure, we reached out to Maersk with our important and time-sensitive project, knowing they understand our needs and would have ways to assist us timely and efficiently,” he added.
The equipment commissioned by the Materials Reserves Agency will be distributed to medical institutions across the country. The agency is a Polish national institution that purchases, stores, and distributes strategic reserves.
During 2020, Maersk arranged a total of 209 tailored intercontinental trains from China to European countries and has increased its footprint in Turkey and Georgia with the first-ever block trains developed for those markets.
Justyna Barycza, Customer Experience Manager and Poland Country Representative at Maersk, also commented, “We are always committed to making specific transportation arrangements for our local customers and such an important project required extra dedication.”
“We are very proud of our teams in Asia and Europe, who moved mountains to make this delivery possible, so we could keep our promise.”
