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terrorism. Incidents such as the bombs found on board UPS and FedEx freighters making their way to the US, but discovered in the UK and Dubai, brought the issue into sharp relief in October 2010, while ongoing efforts – not always successful – by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to secure America’s air freight supply chain have brought further publicity. But there is another huge security threat relating


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to cargo – that associated with theft. Criminals have targeted air cargo for almost as long as goods have been flying, although more often than not seizing their chance to strike either while the freight is in a warehouse or being moved by truck to or from an airport. Nevertheless, security within the air cargo


business has improved significantly in Europe in recent decades, observes Thorsten Neumann, chairman of TAPA EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). And his opinion matters: TAPA is the Transported Asset Protection Association, one of the very few bodies devoted to securing greater security within the multinational supply chain. While the situation has improved immeasurably


at airports that used to be criminal hotspots, such as London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol, the problem has of course to some extent moved to other gateways in Europe. Even within freight-friendly airports, the


incidence of freight-related crime can differ significantly, depending in some instances on the handler used. Moreover, while the threat might have lessened


somewhat on the Continent, elsewhere the scale of the problem only seems to be worsening. Asia, key to the air freight industry, continues to try to combat a poor security environment. Malaysia and the Philippines have a particularly poor reputation in this regard, as do parts of China. Furthermore, in China’s case, despite the death


penalty awaiting those who are caught stealing goods of even comparatively modest value, armed hijackings of road feeder service trucks are


ecurity in the air cargo supply chain has been much in the news in recent years, primarily because of the threat of


now starting to be seen on a regular basis. Carriers, handlers and other parts of the


logistical chain do not fully understand the threat that exists to their consignments, Neumann contends. Thus, carriers continue to route shipments through high-risk areas such as South Africa when the goods could be flown directly into Europe, while other airlines leave cargo sitting on the tarmac – from where it may disappear. It is not unknown for entire air freight pallets


and unit load device (ULD) containers to go missing at some gateways, he observed – not to mention the risk of the loss of the ULD equipment itself, with the containers being regarded as a desirable, bijou residence in some poorer parts of the world. And although many shippers remain unaware of


the threat to their cargo during airport handling, the ULD breakbulk process and so on, it is not just within the airport perimeter that air freight remains susceptible to theft. Goods are loaded onto trucks to be moved to final destination and it is during driver rest stops that a significant amount of cargo theft takes place.


Keeping cargo moving on the road It is not that the trucking companies take this situation lying down. One of Europe’s biggest road haulers of air freight, Netherlands-based Jan de Rijk Logistics, says security is a top priority. According to CEO Sebastiaan Scholte, Jan de Rijk invests heavily in measures to prevent theft from its trucks – whether in the form of technology, training or in its choice of employees. The technology it employs includes online


security monitoring of vehicles and electronic trailer locks that, when attacked, set off alarms not only in the cab but also at one of the company’s security stations. New vehicles being acquired by Jan de Rijk are required to meet the TAPA TSR 1 standard (the highest of the three levels of TAPA Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) established to ensure the safe and secure transportation of goods being transported on behalf of TAPA members). The company’s warehousing is also highly


AIR LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT 51


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