NEWS\\\


Issue 6 2018 - Freight Business Journal


7


UKWA calls for inland food inspections aſter Brexit


The United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) has called on the Government to legislate to allow foodstuffs entering the country to be inspected inland – instead of ports - to ease the flow of goods aſter Brexit. Speaking on the BBC’s Ten


O’Clock News programme on 21 August, UKWA chief executive Peter Ward, said: “Currently food inspections must be conducted


within the port boundary, but aſter Brexit this will be impractical” – pointing out that 44% of what the nation eats enters the UK at Dover from the EU. This is the equivalent of 1,000 trucks per day through the port on ferries and the tunnel. Ward added: “Inspecting this


food in a manner consistent with Rest Of World (ROW) rules from March 2019 is going to present a major challenge. For instance, the port of Dover doesn’t have the


Rail operators come up with congestion-busting plan


Rail operator representative the Rail Delivery Group has suggested setting up new Railway Customs Areas (RCAs) at inland rail freight terminals to avoid congestion at the Channel Tunnel after Brexit.


The group says that using the existing safety and security inspection areas at each side of the Channel Tunnel for customs checks could create significant congestion and delays.


necessary plug-in points to power temperature-controlled vehicles, which means the only way to ensure that food remains cool while awaiting inspection will be to keep diesel engines running – which will add cost and impact on the environment. “The lack of adequate


inspection facilities at Ro/Ro ports, such as Dover, will result in unprecedented delays and aſter Brexit there will simply not be sufficient capacity nor the infrastructure to cope, so an interruption in food supply chains seems inevitable.”


Chief executive Paul


Plummer, said: “Our proposals to


create customs facilities


at freight terminals support and complement the work ongoing in Government for customs controls post-Brexit and will prevent unnecessary congestion on the railway and clear the way for smooth trade with our partners in Europe.”


Lords to probe post-Brexit transport


The House of Lords EU Internal Market Sub-Committee has launched an inquiry into future UK- EU arrangements for road, rail and maritime transport. It will explore


potential UK-EU agreements for all surface transport, cases for divergence


from EU transport


rules, the implications of ‘no deal’ for the UK transport sector, the UK’s


involvement with EU transport infrastructure projects and the preparedness of the Department for Transport and UK transport agencies and bodies.


Seatruck ups Liverpool-Dublin capacity


Seatruck Ferries has increased capacity and frequency between Dublin and Liverpool by replacing its smallest vessel on the route, the Clipper Ranger, with a larger P series vessel offering almost twice the capacity. It has also added additional sailings,


Friday bringing its


frequency on the route to 44 per week, or 78 per week across all three of its Irish Sea services.


to cascade additional modern tonnage onto our


fast-growing Seatruck, which currently


moves around 20% of total Irish Sea ro ro freight volumes, says that truck driver shortages are causing many operators to reassess their traditional accompanied method. Capacity on Seatruck’s


Warrenpoint to Heysham. route has just been increased by 30% with the introduction of the Seatruck Performance and Seatruck Precision. Chief executive Alistair Eagles,


said: “The recent vessel changes in Warrenpoint have allowed us


Dublin – Liverpool route. The P series vessel is larger, faster and will improve schedule reliability in inclement weather. “We are seeing unprecedented


demand for unaccompanied trailer shipments across our network and with the driver shortage worsening we see this trend continuing. By switching to unaccompanied shipments, our customers can ensure that they are using their resources in the most efficient way possible. The Dublin Liverpool route is now serviced by a modern fleet


of purpose-built vessels


offering unrivalled service for trailer operators with four midweek sailings per day in each direction.”


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