The operation was initiated and coordinated by A.P. Moller Holding with support from A.P. Moller – Maersk sourcing the PPE and Damco transporting it to the hospitals concerned. The hospitals were responsible for the selection of materials, review of supplier certificates and quality control.

The Maersk Bridge operation was developed as a response to a request from Rigshospitalet in Denmark asking A.P. Moller Holding to help them source PPE. In two weeks, the Maersk Bridge evolved from an initial idea to delivery of cargo.

In June 2020 the stocks of masks, protective clothing and other critical PPEs in the Nordic region had reached a reasonable level, and hence the Maersk Bridge operation was successfully concluded. During its eight weeks of operation, the Maersk Bridge delivered a total of almost 22 million masks, protective clothing, face shields etc. for Danish and Swedish health-care workers.

The first shipment arrived to Denmark early morning 8 April 2020. It was carried by one of the world’s largest airfreighters, an Antonov AN-124-100.

Why was PPE so important?

PPE means Personal Protective Equipment. It protects against microbial risks by preventing infectious materials such as COVID-19 from entering the body – typically through the respiratory system. PPE saves lives in the health-care industry because:

• If health care workers contract the virus their own health is at risk
• Infected health care workers risk transmitting the virus to other patients in the hospitals
• Transmission of the virus among health care workers reduces overall hospital capacity