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News Desk


European freight driver shortages grow further


OVERLAND Research by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) indicates that the European road transport sector is facing a 13% increase in commercial freight driver shortages in 2020, rising from 23% in 2019 to 36% in 2020.


Mid-March saw the government agree to work with local authorities to extend night-time delivery hours for food retailers to help the industry respond to the coronavirus. The new measures mean that food retailers will be able to increase the frequency at which they receive deliveries from their suppliers.


IN THE AIR Heathrow Airport has appointed Tim Mayes as its new head of cargo – a key leadership role accountable for leading cargo transformation, marshalling a capital programme and engaging with a wide range of stakeholder groups, from government, airlines, the freight industry and the airport’s own operational teams.


Global air freight demand, measured in cargo tonne kilometres, decreased by 3.3% in January 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, the tenth consecutive month of year-on-year declines, according IATA data released in March. Cargo capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometres rose by 0.9% year-on- year in January 2020.


Construction has started on a new £200 million logistics and industrial park at Teesside International Airport. The project will see the creation of 3.4 million sq ft of logistics, manufacturing and commercial space built on 270 acres of land on the southern side of the airport.


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ON THE OCEAN Efforts to digitalise container shipping documentation have moved ahead but forwarders will need to find ways of dealing with paper for years to come, with full implementation of electronic bills of lading and shipping instructions still some way off, according to the chief executive of Expedock, a digital documentation start-up .


A report entitled ‘2020 Global Container Shipping Outlook’ by AlixPartners suggests that container shipping lines are facing growing pressure to standardise surcharges, which have become ever more complicated with the introduction of IMO 2020, the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur cap on fuel content, which became effective in January 2020.


Claims filed to the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal under the terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 indicate that the UK is set to pursue its own investigation into possible cartel behaviour by shipping lines MOL, “K” Line, NYK, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Eukor and CSAV, which stand accused of overcharging UK consumers and


businesses over a 10-year period through to September 2015.


Container shipping has been warned in a new report that it could face another Hanjin Shipping style collapse with one key liner bankruptcy indicator on red alert. The potential for liner bankruptcy potential is at its strongest in the 10 years that US consultant AlixPartners has been tracking this specific data set.


The Digital Container Shipping Association (UDCSA) has published its guidelines for the container shipping sector to comply with the IMO’s Resolution MSC.428(98) on Maritime Cyber Risk Management in Safety Management Systems, which is set to become law in January next year, providing all shipping companies with a common language and a manageable, task-based approach for meeting the IMO’s implementation timeframe.


ON THE QUAYSIDE Stena Edda, the first of the next generation of Stena Line’s ‘green’ E-Flexer ro-pax vessels,


www.bifa.org Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business


commenced its maiden voyage between Birkenhead and Belfast from the former’s remodelled Twelve Quays terminal, which has been expanded to reduce turnaround times, increase route capacity and improve safety by implementing one-way traffic.


The new 17-acre strategic rail freight interchange at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, which is capable of handling up to 16 775 m long freight trains daily and providing storage capacity for over 5,000 teu, has officially opened, following the introduction of the first dedicated service between East Midlands Gateway and the port of Felixstowe operated by Maritime Intermodal.


IN BUSINESS The impact of the coronavirus on the freight transportation industry appears to be growing, according to a Morgan Stanley survey of more than 350 shippers, brokers and carriers published in mid-March, which found that approximately 80% of stakeholders’ businesses were impacted by COVID-19, compared with around 60% at the start of the month.


CUSTOMS MATTERS HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is changing the way it releases cleared consignments after Inland Pre-Clearance operations to improve the visibility that shipping lines have of their container/ consignment movements and their ability to collect their commercial fees from importers subject to IPC action. From March 31, a ‘PIN’ will be issued by HMRC to the shipping line for each consignment, once examinations are concluded and any duty/import VAT liabilities paid/secured. The line then uses this PIN to retrieve the consignment. The shipping line can then arrange collection and subsequent release to its client. Collection must be made within five working days of being notified by HMRC that the goods have been cleared.


April 2020


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