EQUIPMENT CORNER\\\


The European Commission’s Blue Belt project is designed to bring European shipping into line with road transport by the simplification of customs formalities,


leading to the


development of an e-Manifest. At the moment, each


consignment on an intra- European vessel is accompanied by around 30 pieces of paper, some required by the EU, some by national


authorities, by international some bodies. Some


documents have to be provided by the shipper, some by the forwarder, some by the ship owner and some by the ports of origin or destination. Ships can be held for hours - or


days - in port, which costs both time and money. Ship owners reckon by simplifying customs procedures, they can save €25 per container. “Road transport in Europe is comparatively easy,” points out Chris Welch, director of Global and European policy at the Freight Transport Association. “Blue Belt is trying to simplify the myriad documents required for ferry, short-sea and coastal shipping.” The documents have been


required because most vessels plying intra-European routes carry


non-EU cargo and/or call at non-EU ports. This could include cargo from ports in North Africa, Norway or Russia, for example. In any case, once a ship leaves a country’s territorial waters - 12 miles from shore - it is deemed to be outside the EU and therefore must go through customs clearance at the point of departure and again upon its ‘return’ into EU waters. The e-Manifest is designed to


ensure customs does not interfere with EU goods on board a ship by identifying cargo origin and destination. While welcoming the proposals,


the European Shippers Council warns that improvements need to be made to the Blue Belt project for it to have positive effects for those shipping goods within the EU. Changes to VAT at export need to be made, for example. At present, VAT is returned by leaving the seaport, but the European Commission plans to made this VAT refund provisional. The ESC is ‘absolutely against’


this change, as the shipper is often unaware of further sales later in the supply chain. “Uncertainty about VAT refunds is a much greater disadvantage than any potential benefits of the Blue Belt project,” it says.


Electronic matchmaking for the freight industry


Improvements in technology have boosted the growth of online freight exchanges, with several being introduced or expanded this year. Returnloads.net, for example, has integrated members from courierlink.net, giving users access to over 4,000 couriers, hauliers and manufacturers. Hauliers offered courier work can sub-contract the job to another member, while couriers asked to take on something too heavy for a van can contact a haulier. However, while freight


exchanges offer a good way to fill back-loads or attract new customers, some claims are a little bit suspect. Sesame Active System claims its pan-European express ‘match’ service is unique because it ‘automatically calculates how far each vehicle has moved in terms of both time (that is, the length of a journey) and space (the distance covered). How it plans to make


such a calculation without having a GPS in every van is leſt to the customer’s imagination. Perhaps the fact that haulage companies are able to ‘adjust’ this calculation themselves in the event of their vehicles being ahead or behind schedule says it all. What is undoubtedly


of more interest is Freight Arranger, an online intermodal brokerage and tracking system. The system aims to enable consignors (or


forwarders) to


use rail operations in the UK for freight flows as small as a single container, while providing rail freight operators more exposure for their routes, leading to fuller trains and better use of space - as well as ultimate reduction in per-unit cost. More details of FreightArranger, now entering its second trial phase, will be published as they available.


become


FullScreen View Drowning in paperwork – Blue Belt to the rescue?


By Marcia Macleod


Providing extra information and updating the type of goods in every port also increases the administrative burden, according to the ESC. It does not want any decrease in the administrative burden - such as


unnecessary customs clearance - to be offset by an increase of administration elsewhere. If everything goes to plan, the


proposals made under the Blue Belt project will come into effect in 2015.


Airfreight tracking for all


American Airlines is rolling out its FlightSafe tracking service to customers wanting to use it for just one shipment. FlightSafe, a sensor- based tracking device which can be used onboard aircraſt, has been available on American’s mainline fleet for two years, but shippers or forwarders had to buy or lease the device. Now people will be able to use it for just one flight. “This programme will be a great


addition to our services, giving customers real-time visibility into their shipments,” says Roger Samways, MD-cargo sales for American Airlines. “This visibility provides customers with on-


demand knowledge of supply chain events, speeds response time and improves transit knowledge.” The FlightSafe service,


delivered in partnership with OnAsset Intelligence, allows users to monitor cargo temperature, pressure, shock, location and vibration through a online link to data collected during transit. American will supply the device and all logistics services for a single fee


So far, FlightSafe has proved


particularly popular with pharmaceutical companies and those shipping high-value cargo.


Are you on the Right Ship?


RightShip, the online ship vetting company,


is to add risk


management data to its Ship Vetting Information System. The company has appointed IBM to employ its advanced predictive analytics and real-time reporting for RightShip customers. “Risk management in the


maritime industry is paramount,” says Warwick


Norman, CEO


at RightShip. “Marine industry operators must be able to efficiently and cost-effectively assess the suitability of a nominated vessel. The new system will allow RightShip to better target substandard performance and forecast risk dynamically in response to changing factors.” But it’s not only ship owners


who will benefit. The service will also allow ship charterers to better predict a vessel’s performance, including its environmental performance - something seen


as increasingly important - while at the same time seamlessly consider emerging risk factors. In addition, port terminals


operators will have access to a more bespoke service that ensures the vessel will fit into available space.


Issue 6 2013


25


OTHER IT NEWS CEVA claims e-AWB first


Ceva Logistics says that it is among the first freight management companies to sign up to International Air Transport Association’s electronic Air Way Billing (e-AWB) scheme. CEVA will be piloting the process in London, Frankfurt, New York and Atlanta and aims to roll out e-AWB to its entire 160-country network by 2015. The e-AWB agreement essentially replaces the hard copy terms and conditions previous on the reverse of the paper Air Way Bill and is signed by all freight forwarders participating in the scheme. It adds that the agreement moves it one step closer to achieving paperless airfreight operations and will help cut the estimated 7,800 tons of paperwork that the freight forwarding industry currently moves around each year. VP of global air procurement, Peter Baumgartner, said: “This agreement with IATA is an exciting step towards operating in a completely paperless Airfreight environment. We believe that by using e-AWB we will be able to process freight more efficiently, accurately and quickly, while at the same time eliminating the unnecessary use of paper, delivering environmental benefits to CEVA and our customers.”


Drinks with ICE


The Imatex Customs processing system has added a Registered Excise Dealers and Shippers feature. It comes in response to a request from one of Impatex’s largest and longest-standing customers that wanted to migrate away from a self-developed legacy REDS system. Impatex MD Peter Day said: “Although the REDS facility is only of interest to a limited number of users, we were happy to accommodate this request for one of our major multi-national customers. Now the development work is done, the feature is available to any ICE customer with a similar requirement.” He believes that ICE will encourage more freight agents to offer wine and drinks customers the facility to outsource their REDS processing. “With REDS now included in ICE, some larger forwarders may be prepared to take this work on for customers, knowing they have the soſtware to control it. It’s a potential additional revenue stream.”


FreightArranger – be part of it


Forwarders are being invited to participate in trials of FreightArranger’s new online brokerage and tracking system for road and rail, which is set to begin its open trial phase.The system is designed to make it easy for consignors to use rail operations in the UK for freight flows as small as a single container. Companies operating rail freight also benefit by greater exposure for their routes, meaning they can sell more space at lower transaction cost, leading to fuller trains and higher profits. The company is confident that its soſtware is complete and running smoothly, having identified and ironed out any shortcomings in the closed trial phase. FreightArranger managing director Nick Radcliffe said: “We have tested the full capability of FreightArranger, which is comprised of numerous specific elements - route, time, gauge, pricing, container capacity, and terminal opening times. Because we’ve tested our system so thoroughly, we are very happy with the way it’s going. It was good to put the system through its paces, and although there were inevitably some teething problems, everything is now up and running smoothly.” Contact: enquiries@freightarranger.co.uk


Fast Forward your business Forward Computers continue to develop new


ideas and more efficient ways for us to process jobs, as well as keeping abreast of changes.


We see Forward Computers and ForwardOffice as an integral part of our future.


Dave Byard, EFS Group Financial Director.


forwardcomputers.co.uk


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