NEWS\\\


Issue 3 2013


7


Impasse over life sciences continues


Over a year since the subject was first raised, the UK life sciences industry appears to be no nearer at finding a solution to its transport problems (See FBJ 2 2012). Researchers rely on a ready live animals to carry


supply of


out research into many diseases, including


cancer have and been genetic


diseases; however, most freight companies


scared


off carrying animals for medical research, due to an intense email campaign by animal rights activists, who have bombarded transport operators including ferry operators, Eurotunnel, airlines and ports. Virtually all ferry operators, along with a great many airlines including British Airways have as a result refused to carry animals destined for research. The last major ferry operator to carry the traffic, Stena Line, ended its involvement in January 2012.


In the past, the animal rights


activists have even sent letter bombs; one, sent to the freight director of Stena Sealink in the early 1990s exploded, injuring a secretary. The ferry companies and airlines took the view that, as research animals constituted a minuscule proportion of their freight carryings, it was not worth putting their people and operations at risk, particularly as many of their passengers also wrote letters and emails of complaint about the trade. The life sciences industry,


however, does not see it that way, explaining that it is very dependent on specific strains of certain animals such as mice and rates to carry out its research – and pointing out for good measure that it is one of the country’s leading export earners. It’s important not to let a small


number of activists dominate the debate, member of the House of Lords and former science minister in the last Labour government, Lord Paul Drayson told FBJ in an interview. “The research that is done is in fact hugely supported by the general public; a great many of the ferry company’s customers support this research,” he explained. He added that while the image of animal rights activists may be balaclava-wearing, bomb-wielding thugs, extreme physical violence is much less of an issue that it was a few years ago: “It’s important for the ferry companies to recognise that things have changed significantly since the 1990s. The problem is much reduced now and the Police have taken very effective action.” Without being able to import the


research animals that they need, “the reality is that this research


will go elsewhere, and there have already been instances of it doing so” The UK life science industry is vulnerable in that Britain is an island; cross-border transport is much harder to target in the rest of the Single European Market. For the moment, though, there


is little that the industry can do other than continue to lobby the government and the


carriers.


Trying to force the issue through, say, specific legislation compelling operators to carry the traffic is not the way forward, Lord Drayson believes. But he is worried at the slow rate of progress and the fact that the situation has not really changed in over a year. The only crumb of comfort,


he says, is that the life sciences industry has got its message across to the public much more effectively and people are much more aware that laboratory animals save lives.


Customs men crack down on excise fraud


HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is increasingly targeting transport and warehouse operators who – possibly unknowingly – have handled excise goods on which the duty has not been paid, report BIFA and the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA). While HMRC has since 2010 had


the authority to assess anyone for duty for knowingly diverting goods from bonded movements, action has only been spasmodic up till


now, says Alan Powell Associates, UKWA’s


honorary adviser Alan Powell explained: “HMRC on


Customs & Excise Matters. However HMRC is now


deploying more officers to investigate excise goods fraud. And an increasing number of third party service providers, including hauliers and warehouse keepers are being penalised by HMRC for their involvement with ‘missing traders’ who evade duty on alcohol and then abscond.


had been slow to apply what are called ‘excise wrong-doing penalties’ but are now vigorously applying them. As a result, many small and medium companies are facing unexpected bills and penalties from HMRC of hundreds of thousands of pounds. “If an organisation has been


involved at any stage in the supply of goods that have been illicitly diverted from a bonded


supply chain, it could be liable for duty – even if it is not directly responsible for the diversion. Essentially, anyone handling duty- unpaid product is classed as being ‘contaminated’ within the supply chain and assessed for the duty.” Anyone offering


third party


logistics services of any kind is strongly advised to check what is being handled or stored and not to take storage requirements on face value.


NEWS ROUNDUP SHIPPING


Short-sea shipping line Unifeeder has been sold by Montagu


Private Equity to another private equity investor, Nordic Capital Fund. The latter invests in large and medium-sized companies, mostly in the Nordic region. Unifeeder, which describes itself as an “asset light logistics company”, operates services between the main European container hubs including the UK, plus the Baltics, Nordic region, Russia and North Africa.


CMA CGM has added a Southampton call to its weekly FEMEX


service to the east Med. It calls at Southampton, Hamburg and Antwerp then Malta, Thessaloniki and Marmara in Turkey, returning via Malta, Tangier and Casablanca.


Evergreen Line is adjusting its Greece-Turkey operation. It is


adding the Turkish port of Gebze and changing the existing Greece- Turkey-Malta (GTM) service to a new Greece-Cyprus service operating between Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Limassol. The line said it would improve transit times from Limassol to North Europe especially for reefer cargo.


Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg-Sud have called off their merger plan,


at least for the time being, saying that terms could not be agreed. The two German lines were reported to be considering a merger last December. A consortium of Hapag-Lloyd investors said in a statement that family-owned Hamburg-Sud had asked for merger talks to be ended. Hapag-Lloyd co-owner Klaus-Michael Kuehne may however attempt to list Hapag-Lloyd as a public company on its own. Meanwhile Hamburg Süd added that it still positively favour a flotation of the merged new company “if certain conditions are met.”


Container logistics firm Pentalver has moved to a new, larger site


at 45 Berth, Tilbury. The 8.5 acre depot boasts over 40 reefer points, more cargo handling space, a fully automated booking system and is adjacent to London Container Terminal, at the former short sea berth.


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