General

So far, the epidemic in India does not seem to show any signs of slowing down. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health of India on May 12, in the past 24 hours, there were 348,421 new confirmed cases of new crown in India, and a total of 23,340,938 confirmed cases; 4,205 new deaths and a total of 254,197 deaths.

At present, the second wave of the epidemic is raging and spreading in many parts of India. Although India has seen an upward trend in the epidemic between February and March, the Modi government still approved large-scale religious activities with tens of millions of people.

During India's "Great Pot Festival", thousands of Hindus rushed into the Ganges, bathed in the Ganges, and drank the Ganges water to wash away their sins. Subsequently, between the end of March and April, the epidemic situation in India deteriorated rapidly, hospitals were overcrowded, the new crown vaccine and medical oxygen were "unavailable", and the medical system was on the verge of collapse.

The container shipping company ZIM has previously announced that it will only charge a nominal US$1 for any containerized cargo with medical oxygen equipment carried by Star Shipping and the destination is India!

According to Souhang.com, another shipping company has "free shipping" for medical supplies shipped to India, and it also charges a nominal US$1 per container.

The container shipping company HMM is prioritizing the delivery of epidemic-related medical equipment to India. It will charge a nominal US$1 for each container of medical supplies to India, and the shipping space and container are also listed as the top priority.

Medical equipment includes medical oxygen supplies, such as medical grade oxygen, oxygen tanks, oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, steel pipes for manufacturing oxygen cylinders, and related equipment.

An HMM official said, “Even if we encounter shortages of ship spaces and containers on a global scale, humanitarian activities should be given top priority. We hope to fulfill our social responsibilities with our professional knowledge and experience. At the same time, provide the world with better services than ever before."

"Orders from India increased 9 times"

Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post website reported on the 11th that as India is struggling to cope with the worsening COVID-19 crisis, Chinese companies have felt the surge in demand for medical oxygen equipment in India.

According to reports, China is the world's largest producer of oxygen generators. Some factories say that the surge in demand has led to a shortage of parts needed to produce the oxygen generator.

Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong said on May 9 that medical supplies donated by the Red Cross Society of China have arrived in India, including 100 oxygen generators and 40 ventilators. Ambassador Sun said that the Red Cross Society of China will also donate US$1 million to the Red Cross Society of India.

The report also said that Indian media quoted relevant Chinese authorities as saying that as of May 5, Chinese manufacturers have received orders from India for a total of more than 60,000 oxygen concentrators.