NEWS\\\


Issue 4 2015 - Freight Business Journal


7


US ports strike – a sign of the nightmare to come?


Lack of port, road and rail infrastructure could create the ‘perfect storm’


for shipping –


and the recent US West Coast port strike was a preview of a potentially nightmare scenario, warns the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF). Secretary-general, Chris Welsh


told the Eurocoke Summit in Amsterdam on 14 April that increasing international trade will set unprecedented challenges to the transport system, “particularly around ports, in port hinterland distribution and in surface road and rail freight movements.” He added: “The OECD and other


international agencies project that trade related international freight will grow by a factor of 4.3 by 2050. Future growth will be driven by changes to production ...reflected in the fact that nine of the world’s top ten ports are located in Asia, with China alone accounting for seven of the top ten ports and of a continuous shiſt of economic activity to emerging economies.” The recent US West Coast


ports’ strike was “a glimpse of a nightmare situation with larger


container ships, new maritime alliance configurations, vessel bunching, port congestion, labour disputes and a lack of inland haulage” which had had unforeseen consequences for supply chains and the US economy. Welsh added: “Some US


economic analysts have said that the situation has had a “drag” effect on US GDP...costing the US economy billions of dollars.” GSF is calling on industry


and regulators to work together in order


to avoid any future


congestion crises with better scenario planning and putting contingency strategies in place. GSF also wants regulators to ask more searching questions about the impact of the new mega vessel maritime alliances. Welsh concluded: “With


agricultural products rotting at the port,


lost contracts and


empty shelves, those engaged in the supply chain have a clear responsibility to prevent future breakdowns, and in undertaking some future proofing to finding solutions to further potential problems.”


Nepal aid shippers tangled in red tape


Aid agencies faced a logistical nightmare in trying to help victims of the Nepalese earthquake, says Air Charter Service – but local red tape made the situation even worse. Group commercial director Justin Lancaster, said there had been grave concerns about the amount of relief goods they were able to get into the stricken country. He explained: “One of the biggest problems is that the only international airport in Nepal is Kathmandu, which is a very small airport, with the cargo ramp only capable of handling two or three wide-body aircraſt at any one time.” The problems are


compounded because, in the days immediately aſter the first earthquake, the authorities marked cargo flights as low priority and were taking up to four days to grant landing permits for Nepal and overflight permissions for India. Lancaster added: “The situation


is so bad that the possibility of trucking aid from other airports in the vicinity, such as Calcutta was considered, but that also posed its own challenges, including customs issues and the condition of the roads. Cathy Roberson, at consultants


Transport Intelligence, said that further evidence of Nepal’s bureaucracy was government insistence on checking all emergency shipments arriving at the airport. The UN had to remind the Prime Minister that Nepal had agreed in 2007 to provide for easier and quicker customs clearance for any aid in case of a disaster. Deutsche Post DHL also


deployed its Disaster Response Team (DRT) to Kathmandu when the first earthquake struck, to provide logistics support to help manage the incoming international aid and handle the goods at Tribhuvan Kathmandu International Airport. The airport’s capacity, coupled


with a current lack of equipment and resources in the currently very demanding situation, had a “huge” impact on the speed of delivery of relief goods. Director for humanitarian


affairs, DPDHL Group, Chris Weeks,


said: “When we first


arrived, we had a big job to do in cleaning up the congested tarmac area which was filled with relief supplies – this is critical in an emergency situation. If we hadn’t done this, it’s likely the airport would have closed within the


first 48 hours of the earthquake because the airport would have run out of space and equipment, and NGOs would have been unable to locate their aid and relief goods. We implemented a system to maximize the use of limited resources for ongoing relief efforts. Working closely


with the civil aviation authorities, local military, international aid organizations and the UN, we have clarity on the daily flights coming in. We also set up processes to meet the cargo at the airside to make the necessary arrangements in the fastest possible time.”


Logwin surmounts challenges to deliver Syria aid


Logwin teamed up with the aid organisation Save the Children to deliver two trucks carrying thousands of pullovers and jackets donated by the C&A Foundation to Gaziantep on the Turkish-Syrian border in mid- April.


While the shipment involved


a 3,700km journey, one of the biggest problems encountered was customs, said Norbert Göhler, who managed the project for the forwarder. “Importing the goods into Turkey was the biggest challenge of the journey since the customs regulations are very complex. You either need an import permit issued by a government agency or the shipment must be sent to a special type of aid organisation. Otherwise very high customs


duties and taxes are levied – which is something we of course want to avoid.” Logwin added: “Every country


has its own legal standards which have to be complied with, and this includes customs formalities. Like all logistics service providers, Logwin is bound by these standards.” Customs specialists from


Viersen near Mönchengladbach prepared the German customs export documents and colleagues in Aschaffenburg organised the trucks. The Logwin location in Istanbul assumed responsibility for the import documentation, maintained close contact with the aid organisation in Turkey and supervised the trucks all the way to Gaziantep.


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