The outbreak of COVID-19 has put immense pressure on global supply chains, with stockpiling becoming commonplace in many countries. In Singapore, 90% of food is imported from other countries due to limited farming land. This means the country faces unique challenges in ensuring food security – an issue that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

To keep the nation fed, the Government needed to increase the volume of food that it imported. As a result of the efforts to meet the surge in demand, over 500 reefer containers storing frozen food and perishables arrived at Tanjong Pagar port terminal.

The port terminal is typically used for storage of containers that do not require power, meaning that a vast majority of the terminal is not equipped with grid connectivity. With the need for a reliable power source to ensure the food remained refrigerated and edible, the port needed to quickly put in place a temporary power solution.

This needed to be delivered while abiding by social distancing requirements during a time when site access was limited.