Operation Pacific Vaccinate

BY CAPTAIN QUENTIN RANDALL RNZN FCILT CMInstD

AS DAWN BROKE over Fakaofo on 19 July 2021, the 500 inhabitants of one of the many atolls that make up the Tokelau Group were greeted to the silhouette of a warship prowling the horizon. Despite the menacing profile of HMNZS WELLINGTON, the Royal New Zealand Navy off-shore patrol vessel was a welcome sight to the remote Pacific population.

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant placed considerable urgency on the need to distribute vaccines to remote and vulnerable Pacific communities. But the commercial and local logistic networks they rely on to meet everyday needs, did not meet the conditions under which the vaccine needed to be transported. Planning immediately begun around how New Zealand’s Ministry of Health could deliver COVID-19 vaccinations at ultra-low cold chain standards to communities with limited infrastructure and unable to plug into modern global distribution networks designed to maximise speed, volume, and ultimately profitability.

The solution required close collaboration between a number of Government agencies, commercial providers, and the Pacific Island nations that were being supported. Under the lead of the Ministry of Health, the capabilities of the New Zealand Defence Force were called upon to enable this unique humanitarian mission to succeed.

The Situation Room

New Zealand has the reputation as a trusted partner across the Pacific community, and this was reinforced by the Ministry of Health’s support to Pacific neighbours in accessing and rolling out COVID-19 vaccination programmes. The Polynesian Health Corridor partners included the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. The Ministry of Health purchased enough vaccines to cover these nations, and worked with Pacific governments, other development partners and technical agencies such as the New Zealand Defence Force, to ensure the success of this programme.

The Defence Force’s expertise lies in contingency planning, and operating in harsh environments. It possesses a range of interoperable capabilities that span land, sea, air, and space domains, which was the expertise required to deliver the final stage of the Polynesian Health Corridors programme.

After considerable planning and consultation, the Defence Force formed a comprehensive joint task force comprising the Navy’s HMNZS WELLINGTON as the primary distribution mode, and an Air Force SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopter on-board. A P3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft was deployed to provide up to date information on the environment, including assessments of existing infrastructure, while a C-130H Hercules provided an on demand air bridge between New Zealand and major Islands.

Rounding out the task force was Army’s Joint Support Group, which provided pharmaceutical specialists, and teams to help the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team, should the need arise.

Rapid capability development

Underpinning the success of this mission was the ability to transport an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a certified ultra-low temperature cold chain (-25C). This is not an ‘off the shelf’ capability in New Zealand, nor was it a capability the Defence Force possessed.

Working closely with the Ministry of Health and industry partners, a refrigerated 20’ container was modified to enable it to maintain the required temperature. An additional refrigeration unit was added to provide redundancy, and specialist storage cubes were purchased to maximise the time that ultra-low temperatures could be maintained in case of multiple system failures. Maintenance schedules were developed, sailors trained, and spares for the container system were embarked. The ship’s power distribution system was modified to supply redundancy to the container, while on board procedures were developed with the aid of Defence Force pharmaceutical specialists.

The Defence Technology Agency conducted physical tests on the container, confirming it could maintain the critical temperature under a range of conditions, while the Navy’s Maritime Operational Evaluation Team developed a suite of procedural rehearsals, including on board catastrophes that would test the crew’s ability to maintain the integrity of the cold chain while containing fires and floods. The culmination of this effort across a range of agencies ensured the Defence Force received accreditation of an ultra-low temperature cold-chain in a little over four weeks from the concept being proposed.

Planning for every eventuality

The maritime environment is harsh. The constant movement, shock and vibrations from wind and waves, cold temperatures, and the corrosive nature of the sea plays havoc on people, equipment, and machinery. Motion sickness can be debilitating and equipment failures are common. Weather can impact the course and speed a ship sails, preventing it from launching sea boats or helicopters. Planning

for these eventualities is essential.

The first challenge to emerge after HMNZS WELLINGTON sailed was realising that in the haste to leave port, the supplies required to administer the vaccine were incorrectly boxed and labelled, and in fact were delivered to the wrong location. The ship sailed without the complete consignment of manifested goods. This necessitated a detour to Niue, where a C-130H Hercules was deployed with the essential supplies. The ship’s helicopter launched as the C-130H flew overhead to recover the packages from the airport with minimal delay, and ensuring the tight time frames of the voyage could be maintained.

Over the following days, a combination of adverse weather conditions and small but critical defects would plague HMNZS WELLINGTON as she visited four remote locations to deliver the vaccines. Three deliveries were conducted using the ship’s boat, while the final delivery was completed with the aid of the Cook Islands Police Patrol Boat TE KUKUPA, where the local knowledge of the surrounding reefs was essential to ensure safe delivery.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges, Operation PACIFIC VACCINATE concluded with all vaccines delivered to the right location on time, and with no breaches of the ultra-low temperature cold chain. This meant remote Pacific populations received the same level of vaccine efficacy as New Zealand.

Defence Force-designed operational supply chains are rarely efficient, but focus on effectiveness, responsiveness, and resilience. This unique mission however, would not have been possible without the collaboration of multiple Government agencies, and the support of industry to provide innovative solutions with little or no notice. The ability to imagine, and implement an ultra-low temperature cold chain, underpinned by an integrated logistic support philosophy was paramount to the mission’s success.

By the very nature of its work, the Defence Force has to be prepared for every eventuality. To paraphrase the Prussian General Moltke (the Elder), no plan survives first contact with the enemy. The ability to sense and adapt to emerging situations, and have a trusted network of industry experts and likeminded partners is critical in providing depth to any plan.

Captain Quentin Randall

Captain Quentin Randall is a maritime logistics specialist, who has held a range of corporate and operational appointments with both the New Zealand and Australian Defence Forces during a career spanning more than 30 years. During the height of New Zealand’s response to COVID-19, Quentin was the chief logistics advisor to the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand.