The Remarkable and Unusual Goods Delivered by DHL in 2024
DHL is most often associated with parcels, pallets and packed shipping containers, but this barely scratches the surface of the organisation’s vast capabilities.
The logistics leader is occasionally entrusted with looking after some particularly remarkable or unusual shipments, which may be of high value or require extra-careful handling.
Here, Supply Chain Digital takes a look at some of DHL’s shipping highlights from 2024.
Chocolat the disabled chimpanzee
In August, DHL was tasked with transporting Chocolat, a disabled chimpanzee, from Kenya to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset, UK.
A survivor of the illegal bushmeat trade in Congo, which saw her mother killed, Chocolat was saved as an infant back in 2001 after suffering injuries from shotgun pellets that paralysed her hand and foot.
Having spent more than two decades in Kenya with her original rescuer, it became clear that she needed a permanent home in a specialised sanctuary that could provide her with the best-possible care.
Treating her transportation as high-priority, DHL flew Chocolat from Nairobi to East Midlands Airport in the UK, before a trip by road to Dorset. A dedicated team of animal experts ensured she was safe, comfortable and had plenty of snacks to eat in her custom-built crate throughout the journey.
Once at Monkey World, she was introduced to six other chimpanzees, giving Chocolat the family she’d been missing since living in the wild.
James Bond memorabilia
August was a particularly busy month for DHL, which also transported more than 130 pieces of James Bond memorabilia from the Bond in Motion exhibition in Prague to the 007 Action display in Vienna.
Among the items were 27 cars, eight motorcycles, costumes, parachutes and even 007’s driving license.
Unsurprisingly, a standout was the iconic Aston Martin DB5, a staple of the James Bond franchise and perhaps the most famous car in film history.
Other highlights included the eight-metre-long, high-speed ice dragster used in a thrilling chase in Die Another Day and the helicopter James Bond destroyed in Spectre.
More than 20 trucks – including specialised enclosed car carriers with hydraulic lifts – were required to complete the job.
Endangered vultures
Another delicate shipment involving animals, DHL relocated no fewer than 163 Cape and African White-backed vultures were relocated in January from a rehabilitation facility near Pretoria to the Shamwari wildlife reserve in South Africa's Eastern Cape.
In what represented a landmark conservation effort supported by various non-profit organisations, the operation was crucial for providing the critically-endangered birds with a safe environment where they can breed and thrive with minimal human exposure.
Using two 34-tonne trucks along with five support and security vehicles, DHL transported the vultures over a distance of around 650 miles – the largest vulture relocation project ever undertaken.
More than 50 volunteers were involved in the project, carefully loading the precious cargo prior to an 18-hour journey.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s instruments
As well as being a bold celebration of music, The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s tour of Japan in September 2024 was also a complex logistical endeavour.
In an operation that required meticulous planning, DHL transported dozens of valuable instruments, including double basses, cellos, timpani and a harp, from the UK to the Hamamatsu Act City Concert Hall in Japan, covering around 6,000 miles in total.
A constant temperature of between 17C and 21C had to be maintained to prevent wooden instruments from warping or cracking, while custom-built, shock-absorbing cases were used.
Thankfully, all instruments arrived on time for the first date and in perfect condition, before the tour continued in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.
Mobile heart clinic
Transporting numerous individual items is one thing; an entire medical facility is a different proposition altogether.
Back in February, DHL moved the world's first mobile heart clinic 6,000 miles, from Bremen, Germany, to Zacamil in El Salvador, using 11 containers transported by sea and road.
Developed by the German non-profit Kinderherzen, the clinic provides life-saving surgery for children with congenital heart defects in areas that lack specialised facilities.
Following a 15-day setup, international heart surgeons began offering free treatments to the country's young patients. The facility was again transferred by DHL to Burundi, East Africa, where the mission continued.
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