12 Control


Issue 3 2012


Defence forwarder Clover moves to bigger premises


The Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond opened a bigger and improved warehouse facility for defence transport specialist Clover Shipping in Weybridge on 27 April. Clover Shipping , established in 1993, is an expert in defence industry logistics, and the associated regulatory requirements. In particular, it holds regular liaison with the Export


Organisation


(ECO) of BIS, and the Import Licensing Branch (ILB) of BIS and has an in-depth knowledge of the US International Trade Compliance rules - a key factor in assisting defence industry clients in marketing and selling their products overseas compliantly. Services include secure transport in the UK and overseas. Clover was also one of the first


UK operators to achieve AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) accreditation in August 2008. The Surrey firm says that, the


despite recession, it has


increased turnover by 25% over the past four years. Customers include Government Departments, Jankel Armouring, Ministry of Defence, QinetiQ, Ultra Electronics and Serco Defence. Significantly, a


said: “It’s important to understand the complexity of the compliance regimes, both BIS regulations, which are overlain by those of Europe. And a big driving factor is the US and its ITA rules.” Legislation was constantly


proportion of Clover’s business comes from other forwarders, unable or unwilling to take on the responsibility for specialised defence shipments. At the opening ceremony,


Hammond praised Clover’s organic approach to growth and the fact that the company had chosen to remain in the same area – he also happens to be the local MP. He described the defence industry as “one of the UK’s great successes” though it was a very complex area in which to do business, in particular not falling foul of the many international regulations “and ending up in a US jail”. Managing director Bernard


Lavery said that he believed that Clover is one of a few UK forwarders


that are genuine defence freighting specialists. He New freight jobs website


A new global jobsite for the freight forwarding industry is


available at:


http://www.forwardingjobs.com/ Forwarding Jobs allows users


to upload their details with complete confidentiality and, by signing up to Jobs By Email, every time a relevant vacancy is posted by a recruiter, a copy will be sent to their personal email account. Forwarding Jobs contains forwarding vacancies


both direct from employers and from recruitment agencies. Forwarding Jobs is being


8293-Seatruck 270x60mm Advert 26/05/2011 12:24pm Page 1


set up as a neutral site and all recruitment agencies in the sector are being encouraged to use it. Discussions are being held with leading freight recruitment agencies in the UK, Holland and Belgium and it is hoped that 20 will be using the site by the end of the month.


shiſting. Only that morning, licences to Argentina had been withdrawn, for example, a a forwarder in the defence sector needed to be able to keep on top of them. All parties in the supply chain, including forwarders as well as manufacturers, were responsible for ensuring that the rules were kept to for defence exports, Bernard Lavery added. “There have been cases of forwarders being fined- in one case over $9m,” he told FBJ. Clover has invested in a fleet


of specially modified vehicles capable of carrying high consequence cargo. It also has a Section 5 firearms licence. Clover is linked to a network of


other agents around the world, most of whom are also defence specialists. It moves freight by air and


sea – mostly the former – and it is very choosy as to its choice of carrier. Some Governments insist on ships or planes of their own flag being used, though this is becoming less common. Clover exercises a great deal more control over how its shipments move


than the average


forwarder; very oſten, regulations forbid transhipment in specific countries. “Everything we do is appraised on an individual basis – there is no such thing as a routine shipment with us,” says Mr Lavery. Clover


does not handle


exclusively defence material, but the traffics it moves also tend to need precise control. These include materials for shopfitting, which have to arrive in a precisely choreographed sequence, and movements for the media and entertainment industry. Staff are very closely screened being


before recruited and promoting and


confirmed in position. The company also has a policy of training


from


within – not least because it reduces staff turnover.


Court upholds Frankfurt night ban


Germany’s Federal Administrative Court has upheld a ban on night flying at Luſthansa’s main Frankfurt hub – effectively making permanent the 23.00-05.00 ban imposed by the Hesse state court last October. In its ruling, on 4 April, the Federal court in Leipzig also reduced the number of flights permitted in the ‘shoulder’ hours from 10 pm to 6 am to 133 from 150. The decision cannot be appealed. Luſthansa chief executive


Christoph Franz told journalists: “This is a good day for our rivals in Paris, London, Amsterdam


and Dubai,” and warned that the ban would affect decisions on the


carrier’s future investment


decisions. Franz added: “This is a terrible


blow to Germany’s reputation as a place to do business and there is no doubt that one of Europe’s largest hubs will fall behind in international competition...A rigid night-flight ban without any


completely unreasonable.


operational flexibility is It


is


unique in its kind worldwide and ignores the realities of international competition.”


///NEWS


NEWS ROUNDUP SHIPPING


The International Road Transport Union has called for the TIR system to be reinstated in the EU. It formed part of a resolution adopted by its general assembly in Geneva on 27 April which called for he the EU Customs Code to be changed to allow the use of the TIR system in the EU for goods transported under customs control and thereby releasing 600,000 road transport companies from the constraints of the current T system.


The Highways Agency has decided to get rid of a moveable barrier used to reduce congestion on the M20 near Dover during ‘Operation Stack’. The concrete quick moveable barrier (QMB) was installed between junctions 11 and 12 of the M20 four years ago as part of Kent Police’s Operation Stack and allows the London-bound carriageway to be used for coast-bound traffic at times when ferries or the Channel Tunnel are disrupted.


Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas is facing a revolt from some members of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee over his apparent change of heart on whether to allow cross-border operation of so-called gigaliners, where two adjacent member states allow the longer units to operate domestically on their respective territories. At a debate on 26 March, he said he would think the matter over again taking committee members’ remarks into account, saying that he had not realised how sensitive the issue was.


The Freight Transport Association has published the 17th edition of its annual European Road Transport Guide for UK-based road transport operators visiting countries in the EU and beyond. Formerly known as the International Road Transport Guide, the country sections have been updated and include amended information on public holidays, weekend lorry bans, toll prices and other essential facts for fleet operators in both the own account and hire and reward sectors. Order from Shopſta online at www.shop.ſta.co.uk or call 08717 11 11 11, quoting code 4055.


FORWARDING & LOGISTICS


Norbert Dentressangle Overseas – the logistics giant’s freight forwarding division – has launched ‘Red Sky Connect’, a managed, end-to-end airfreight service covering the world’s four major trading regions. It is offering six initial routes, connecting China to Europe and the Americas, Latin America to Europe and the US, and the US to Europe, with more due to be added later.


Retired British freight forwarder Christopher Tappin, who was extradited to the US over allegations of shipping banned material to Iran, has been released on bail. His family paid $50,000 (£31,000) to secure his release on a one million US dollar bond (£620,527). In a statement released to the Press Association, his wife Elaine said he had been “unnecessarily locked up” for over eight weeks and abandoned by the UK authorities without having a chance to clear his name. She added: “At least now he can begin to examine the prosecution’s case with his lawyers and prepare to challenge at trial the allegations which he denies.”


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