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Issue 2 2018 - Freight Business Journal


Yusen completes new Midlands site


Yusen Logistics’ has finished construction of its 186,000sq m warehouse at Prologis Park Wellingborough West, in the Midlands. With the highest BREEAM (Building Research


Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), rating possible for its size, the site is next to the A509 and ideal for Birmingham, London and the East Coast ports. Managing director for


Yusen Logistics UK, Kevin Appleton (right), commented: The combination of Wellingborough’s location and Prologis’ delivery capability made a new purpose-built facility at Prologis Park


Out of the blue –Setubal’s new port could be gateway to the Med


Developers of the Blue Atlantic industrial and logistics park at Setubal, 40km south of Lisbon in Portugal have unveiled plans for an 800-metre quay capable of berthing two Panamax container ships at the 96-hectare site. Project lead Fernando


Fernandes says it could offer one of the fastest and most efficient routes in and out of Europe, bypassing the congested Mediterranean. He aded that


Setubal’s sheltered waters


meant that it was never closed by weather. Fernandes


said that the


location is also home to major exporters including Volkswagen, steel company MEGASA, GE and chemical and fertilizer industries. Portugal also plans to extend its


Exclusive Economic Zone – already the third largest in the European Union and 11th largest in the world from 200 miles of territorial sea to cover 350 miles.


Port health could be major threat to post-Brexit supply chain


The British Ports Association


(BPA) has warned that without agreements on cross-border environmental health standards there could be major disruption at UK and EU ports. It follows publication


of the Commons


Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee


report on


‘Brexit: Trade in Food’ on 18 February (https://publications. parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/ cmselect/cmenvfru/348/348.pdf) The report suggested


that changes in UK-EU trade arrangements


could lead to


serious disruption for food supply chains. Chief executive of the


British Ports Association, Richard Ballantyne, said: “Perhaps one of the biggest Brexit challenges ports could face is accommodating new environmental health inspections at the border. “As the report highlights, delays


resulting from inspections at border would lead to increased costs, creating congestion and particular issues for perishable goods. Any Brexit trade deal must include an agreement to overcome the need for such inspections.” Under present rules, animal


and plant products entering the EU (including the UK) from


Ports ponder the future


The British Ports Association has unveiled a new project to examine emerging threats to and opportunities for the sector. The Horizon programme


will address key issues for ports over the next 50 years, including infrastructure and skills, grouped around four key drivers – technology and


automation; climate change and the environment; politics, regulation and the law; and social and economic change. Drawing on experts from


industry and academia, the outcome will be a rolling programme of recommendations for Government, feeding into


a third country can require documentary, identity or physical inspections. These port health checks are conducted at a specially designated and designed Border Inspection Posts (BIPs), carried out by qualified veterinary officers, employed by local authorities. Until now, food and agricultural


products from the EU have not been subject to port health controls. However when the UK leaves the EU, under present rules, infrastructure for costly BIPs would be needed at a range of UK ports – and ferryports in particular oſten do not have


initiatives such as Maritime


2050 and the Industrial Strategy. The UK Major Ports Group


meanwhile called for an integrated freight strategy. In its response to the Government’s consultation on the next phase of England’s road strategy, it said that the UK must develop a


suitable inspection infrastructure. Ballantyne continued: “To


require lorries to stop and undergo time consuming inspections at ports would lead to significant disruption at the border and create congestion around ports. We have had several meetings with Defra who will set the policy for port health inspections in the UK post Brexit, but for traffic leaving the UK there could still be issues at EU ports and it will be important for the Brexit negotiators not to ignore this rather technical but very important aspect of trade policy in their discussions.”


UKMPG chief executive Tim


Morris, said: “There are still too many instances where, for example, it can take nine hours to move cargoes 90 miles. What is required is to take an overview of each of the key freight


corridors cohesive strategy across


transport modes on key freight corridors.


that enable


the UK to trade with the world, rather than take a largely siloed approach through planning by mode of transport.


///NEWS


Wellingborough West the ideal choice for our new operation.” Prologis UK vice president James Wright, added:


Prologis UK, added: “Yusen Logistics is the first major occupier to our brand-new park and it’s great to see a leading international company recognising Wellingborough as a destination for business.”


Businesses call for action to cut


German cargo theſt


German business associations have called for action to tackle growing cargo theſts in the country which, according to a new report, are now running at €1.3 billion a year. According to an analysis,


led by the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) cargo from almost 26,000 trucks is stolen in Germany every year, an average of one every 20 minutes. Further costs of €900 million are caused by penalties for delivery delays, the cost of replacing stolen products and


repairing damage to vehicles. One of the biggest challenges


identified in the report is the low level of reporting and recording of cargo theſts in Germany, and the fact that many of the incidents in Germany involve trucks which


are registered


and insured in other European countries. The associations are urging


the authorities to put more pressure on international criminal organisations and step up their presence at service stations.


Stainless steel


seals keep WMB trucks secure


Motorbike logistics specialist WMB Group has switched to using stainless steel seals to prevent incursions by migrants into its trucks crossing the Channel. It follows an incident in


2015 when a number of illegal immigrants were discovered in one of its trucks heading back to the UK. The group had previously


used plastic seals to secure the TIR security cord that wove around the truck, through the curtain and through the back door handles. However it was easy to damage. Not only are stainless steel


seals difficult to stick back together should they become intentionally damaged to gain access - making it clear that they’ve been tampered with - but they also have the WMB logo


printed onto them alongside a unique serial number. For every job, drivers are


allocated a set number of seals, and all serial numbers are logged. A vehicle security checklist is also given to the driver prior to the journey. All used and unused seals must be returned to the office at the end of each job, ensuring all are accounted for. Every time drivers leave


their truck they need to check inside the lorry, taking photos, in which case the previous seal will need replacing. Then, upon completing their final check before heading to the port to go home, the doors are sealed as well as all four corners of the curtains on the trailer. The vehicle security checklist


must be completed in full for every job.


for


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