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Issue 3 2015 - Freight Business Journal


///NEWS


Shippers’ groups form transnational body


The European Shippers’ Council (ESC), the Asian Shippers’ Association (ASA) and the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) are to form a Global Shippers’ Alliance, to represent shippers’ interests worldwide. Under a memorandum


of understanding signed on 19 March, they will increase cooperation in air freight, maritime transport and trade facilitation. The GSA also intends to engage in constructive dialogue with national governments, supranational bodies, transport organisations and logistic service provider organisations.


It’s not all about the money


One of the first outings for the new Global Shippers Alliance was a forum at the Intermodal Asia conference in Shanghai. A panel consisting of executive director of the Hong Kong Shippers’ Council, Sunny Ho, special advisor to the Thai National Shippers’ Council, Paiboon Ponsuwara, and secretary general of the Thai National Shippers’ Council, Chaischan Chareonsuk, and chaired by Joost Sitskoorn, lamented the fact that discussions between shippers, airlines and transport providers were too centred on price, and not service and quality issues. The panel suggested that this was because


Subjects that are important


to shippers are, amongst others, fair pricing of transport including surcharges in maritime and air transport, proper competition, security and customs regulations, standardisation to facilitate data exchange, terminal handling charges and service levels


in


international transport. European Shippers’ Council


special envoy, Joost Sitskoorn, told FBJ: “We have tried to formalise our cooperation a bit more.” Asked whether he thought


having two organisations representing shippers with similar names


and initials could be confusing – the UK-headquartered


Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) has been in existence since 2011 - Sitskoorn said: “Not necessarily,” adding that there were some differences between the two: “We see GSF as mostly Anglo Saxon, and they also have some logistics service providers, whereas we are a pure shippers organisation.” But he said he did not see any


obstacle in working together with GSF at some point in the future. “In fact we have had some contact with them already, for example on weighing of containers.” GSA is in the process of writing


four position papers on airfreight, maritime, trade facilitation and the environment.


sales representatives were commonly allowed to dominate contacts between the parties, along with the possible perceived commoditisation of transport services.


With service differences oſten out of the


equation, “the only thing that remains to talk about is price,” the GSA concluded. However, said the panellists, shippers may


oſten be willing to pay for tracking and tracing information or for more precise billing. The panel added that a more sustainable


pricing model was needed. Currently, there are oſten dozens of surcharges and additions to the basic freight charge. The move towards all-in prices by some airlines was praised, and shippers could do well to follow their lead. Later, Sitskoorn told FBJ: “Surcharges are seen


as a big nuisance and many people would like to see them done away with. Actually, the problem isn’t necessarily surcharges as such but the fact that they are not transparent.”


Don’t be a packaging pest


The Forestry Commission is reminding importers that wood packaging and dunnage must be treated and marked according to the International Plant Protection Convention standard (ISPM 15). The call came aſter it was forced to destroy 2,000 trees at Paddock Wood in Kent that had become infected with the Asian longhorn beetle. It says that as the weather warms up, the risk of insect pests becoming established increases. The Commission also points out that increased


government funding for timber and wooden product inspections in 2014 led to 122 interceptions of non- compliant packaging at five British ports. Head of plant health John Morgan, said: “The first line


of defence for our trees and forests is to keep harmful pests and diseases out of the country. We can increase our chances of finding non-compliant material by doing further targeted surveillance work to check on the compliance of imported wood packaging material. “However, we also think that when we raise the


awareness with importers they will be responsible and seek to meet the landing requirements for wood packaging material. Importers will wish to avoid having to destroy, treat or possibly re-export wood packaging material when it represents such a risk.” Guidance is available on the Forestry Commission’s website www.forestry.gov.uk/planthealth


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