Toll Remote Logistics - TOLL Group

TOLL DOMESTIC FORWARDInG
AbOvE
some of the
thousands of portable
toilets that Toll
distributed around
Christchurch.
6 tOLL tOdAY
Continued from page 5
The objective was to ensure that whatever was needed,
right down to pads, pens and batteries, was available to support
the complex and fast-moving rescue and relief operation.
There were three priority areas for action: fuel, chemical toilets
and fresh water.
Fuel was essential to drive the vehicles and equipment needed
to deliver emergency services. supply was threatened by
damage at the lyttelton port and in the main road tunnel
connecting the port and the city.
“Fuel was critical,” Warren said. “We got to work with the port
company and the fuel companies to set up a system using
pilot vehicles to escort tankers through the damaged tunnel,
which was also operated by the port company, and into the
city. There, we organised a network of service stations with
special priority lanes to handle the fuelling of emergency service
vehicles at local level.”
Chemical toilets were needed because of widespread damage
to the city’s sewage system. “That was a major global challenge”
according to Warren. “Civil Defence figured that between 40,000
to 60,000 chemical toilets or portaloos would be needed to
ensure we didn’t have major health and hygiene problems
because about 90km of the sewer pipes were damaged.
procurement was our problem.”
in the end, the chemical toilet procurement involved the creation
of a global supply chain operation drawing on manufacturers
and suppliers in China, the netherlands, the us and australia,
as well as existing stocks in new zealand.
a series of chartered Boeing 747 freighter flights involving,
Air China, Malaysia Air, Cathay Pacific, Southern Air, as well
as sea shipments into the ports at nelson and lyttelton, were
also arranged to achieve delivery into the country.
“Then we had to face the challenge of distributing them around
the city,” Warren recalled. “Thankfully, we had assistance from
around 100 army transport and volunteers to help us manage
delivery. They were a very high demand item. naturally, the
people were desperate to get them.”
Water supply was another major issue. at first the focus
was on securing supplies of bottled water. Then, there was
a major exercise to have two large desalination plants flown to
Christchurch from australia aboard raaF C17 Globemasters,
and installed at the nearby seaside township of Brighton.
a chain of local filling stations was established in areas of
the city where no water supply was available, and water was
trucked in from the ashburton District Council supplies and
from Blenheim.
a special seismic monitoring system from Calgary, Canada,
and 14 suction trucks and pumps from australia were among
the more memorable items sourced and delivered by the
global supply chain.
“our depot became a major relief hub,” Warren said. “We were
operating up to three shifts a day during the period of peak
demand.