TT Live

Thorough understanding of your supply chain counterparties and, specifically, the full nature of any cargo being accepted into transport is a matter central to TT’s Cargo Integrity campaign. Now there’s welcome endorsement from five US regulatory agencies.

The global logistics and transport industry is facing unprecedented challenges in achieving material carbon emissions reduction. This now-accepted necessity for humanity has highlighted that the industry is estimated to contribute approximately 20% of emissions and this is likely to continue to grow at speed.

While the container sector has experienced increase in ship size of some 1,500% over the last 50 years, there have also been significant increases for other ship types, including cruise and car carriers. Regardless of future trends, the risk elements for port operations are writ large. Combining this with changing weather patterns around the globe, safety for navigation and mooring in ports are dynamic issues.

Seven years on from the Paris Agreement, as society transitions away from the use of fossil fuels to provide the energy to sustain industrial, business and domestic life aimed at reducing global carbon emissions and tackling climate change, ports, terminals and logistics operators find themselves at an energy crossroad .

The European Union's Import Control System 2 (ICS2), a cornerstone of customs security and safety, is poised for its third release on 3 June 2024. This evolution brings significant changes and enhancements, geared towards augmenting efficiency, optimising risk management, and bolstering the protection of EU citizens and the internal market.

In this edition of TT Live Josh Finch, Logistics Risk Manager, sits down with Guillermo Cancio, Senior Claims Executive, to talk about strategic theft in North America, a growing trend we have picked up on in recent years.

Guillermo explains how organised crime organisations have been manipulating current systems that are available, to portray themselves as legitimate motor carriers, and stealing cargo from the depot right under the nose of everyone involved.

Advice is provided for those in the industry who may be struggling with strategic theft, or may want to get ahead of the curve and put appropriate risk mitigation strategy in place.

Alerts were raised in the UK in mid-2023 about a potential serious safety risk arising from the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). While this particular building practice appears to have been widely adopted in public structures (for example schools), it is possible that it has been applied in port or warehouse facilities in some parts of the world.

It is obvious that ports are pivotal nodes in international supply chains. However, within each setting there will be a broad range of responsibilities and relationships, some statutory or regulatory, some commercial or operational. As a result, there will be an array of terms and conditions to be considered. It remains important to consider standard trading conditions to provide a framework that helps mitigate risks, streamline processes, and foster fair and efficient trading environment.

In containerised transport it is easy to assume that everything that happens to the cargo between the point when it is packed to the point it is unpacked is within the responsibility of the carrier. The reality is that this will depend on the precise terms of the contract of carriage for any period when the international carriage regimes do not specifically apply.

Security at ports and terminals is vital to protect cargo, other assets and workforce. However, the typical size and layout of a port (especially container terminals) can make monitoring difficult, since the line of sight may be obscured by cargo, buildings and plant or equipment. Similarly, the physical distance sometimes required to travel across the facility, compounded by the potential disruption to automated operations, adds to the challenges.