New dawn for AMI 16


Issue 2 2012


///NEWS Industry rallies to TruckPol


The freight industry is rallying around to try to save TruckPol, the once publicly-funded body that aims to fight crime against trucks and their drivers on the roads of Britain. Described by RHA chief executive Geoff Dunning as “the only police


resource dedicated to collating and disseminating data and intelligence on UK truck crime”, it has been kept afloat by the industry since last year but is still £30,000 short of the £120,000 needed by April if it is to avoid closure.


The Coventry-based national Police Intelligence Unit forms part of the national ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service which collates and disseminates statistical data and intelligence on road freight crime within the UK.


Airfreight and express wholesaler Air Menzies International (AMI) has moved into its new London Heathrow hub facility at Polar Park, Bath Road. AMI’s cargo division – one of the largest movers of airfreight in the UK - has already transferred all operations from its previous


base in Stanwell. The Express division will transfer in early March bringing the two businesses back together under one roof for the first time since 2008. Rapid growth had forced the Express operation to re-locate to temporary overspill premises in nearby Colnbrook.


Iran line continues to call in Europe


Ships belonging to Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) are continuing to call at EU ports despite tougher sanctions imposed in July 2010 over Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to a report by Reuters. However, sanctions against the operator may begin to tighten, it says.


The report stated that 23 ships


have visited 12 ports in the EU a total of 149 times including 96 visits to Malta, 14 to Antwerp, and 10 to Rotterdam.


133x170_FBJ_2012.pdf


However, the authorities in Malta and Cyprus have said that they will shortly begin to delist the total of 60 IRISL vessels registered in those countries. According to Reuters, the Malta


28/02/2012 12:38:53


authorities say trade with Iran has been declining steeply, with exports down to €145,000 in 2010 from more than €2 million euros in 2008 and 2009. Joseph Cole, the chairman of the Maltese sanctions monitoring board, said a contract between IRISL and Malta Freeport will not expire


until November 2013, but intensive customs inspections had already driven the shipping line away. “We have made it so difficult for IRISL ships that they have reduced their operation to Malta to almost nil - even though technically they can still come,” he was quoted as saying. Sanctions against IRISL were a factor in the bankruptcy of one time leading UK liner agent, Johnson Stevens and the sale of its remaining liner business to Kestrel last year.


Safer cargo: It’s in your hands, says TT Club expert


A large proportion of insurance claims are the result of deficiencies in operators’ own systems or processes, according to a paper presented by by TT Club director Laurence Jones to the TOC conference. The Club’s director of global risk assessment told the conference on 14 March that 43% of the cost of claims resulting from operational factors were a result of errors or faults in an operator’s systems or processes. Efficient and well constructed processes could prevent many claims, he added. “While


straightforward theft


accounted for 29% of operational claims, poor processes and systems


were the biggest culprit. A whole range of substandard practices were in evidence, such as bad stowage and handling; customs fines due to incorrect or late paperwork; poor instruction on management of refrigeration equipment; and wrong release of cargo. All such claims could have been avoided with tighter procedures.” Analysis of TT Club’s $120m-worth


of claims reveals that nearly 80% of incidents resulting in a claim were avoidable and the vast majority involved some form of human error. Mr Jones said: “Relatively small investments in training, and maintenance could bring significant


Advertisement Eurotunnel Freight Focus on reliability C M J CM MJ CJ CMJ N


and customer service The Eurotunnel Freight Shuttle service is the fastest way to transport your goods across the Channel between the UK and France. With up to 6 departures an hour and a capacity of more than 6000 trucks per day, crossing the Channel in just 35 minutes, customers can plan their deliveries with precision. But speed is not the only


advantage that the Eurotunnel service brings. The ease of access and quality of service are second to none with trucks efficiently routed through to the next available departure. Direct motorway access to both terminals means reduced journey times; online services offering various means of travel (www.eurotunnelfreight. com) and vehicle number plate recognition means that the check- in transaction takes a mere 30 seconds – and the check-in screens are in multiple languages, too. The technologically advanced terminals in Folkestone and Coquelles have very high levels of on-site security with patrols and high-tech equipment to ensure against theſt and the threat of illegal immigration. One of Eurotunnel’s main


objectives is to respond to its customers’ needs and as a


transport company understands how essential real time information is to their business, so as well as providing up to date service information directly from operational systems via the 24 hour customer information line and dedicated online


services


for account holders, an improved mobile website version has also been launched so that customers can access their services directly via their smartphones. Eurotunnel now offers its


Freight Shuttle customers an easy to use carbon counter to enable customers to measure the


environmental impact of


the different modes of transport available for Channel crossings. The Carbon Counter helps Eurotunnel’s customers to choose the most ecological solution for their business by comparing the


greenhouse gas emissions


(amongst which Carbon is the most significant) of the various different modes of


transport


available. With hauliers subject to more restrictive environmental legislation, customers imposing increasingly onerous constraints on the provenance of goods and an absence of consistent information available, Eurotunnel has committed itself to providing its customers with the tools and information to enable them to calculate the amount and the


impact of the CO2 emissions they produce when crossing the Channel. This will then help them to make informed decisions and to reduce their own carbon footprints. The addition of rail freight


services to the Eurotunnel service proposition brings a whole new dimension, offering a range of options for its freight haulage customers


including national


and international rail freight, transporting over 17 million tonnes of freight across the Channel Tunnel in 2011, which saw growth in both the creation of new intermodal services and the transportation of steel. Europorte, the rail freight transport subsidiary of Eurotunnel operates services in Northern Europe whilst GB Railfreight, one of the UK’s leading rail freight specialists has a growing reputation for service quality and innovation, operating throughout the UK via the Channel Tunnel to France.


In almost 18 years more than 284 million people and 17 million trucks have travelled through the Channel Tunnel. It has become the gateway between the UK and the continent; if you need to travel fast and clean, it is the only way to go. Any


further information,


please contact Eurotunnel Freight Commercial teams on 0870 850 0721 or visit www. eurotunnelfreight.com


commercial benefits through less disruption to operations, lower insurance premiums and more satisfied customers.” Some 63% of the total cost (as


opposed to the number) of claims were due to operational factors, with maintenance - or lack of it - accounting for a further third; leaving those lacking human intervention,


mainly weather


related incidents contributing only 4%.


Fires in containerised cargo were


mainly due to poor stowage or mis- declaration of goods – all of which are under operators’ or shippers’ control.


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