BIFAlink is BIFA's monthly magazine covering issues of importance for the logistics and supply chain industry.
The magazine of the British International Freight Association June 2024 BIFA link
Meet the BIFA team at Multimodal 2024
INSIDE: BIFA’s rising star • Discussing world issues with FIATA • Impact of the Red Sea crisis • Business Leaders gather to hear latest developments • Towards net-zero in aviation
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Issue: 406
Steve Parker’s Column
A week of two halves
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266 (A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 00391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Steve Parker s.parker@bifa.org Member Policy & Compliance Director Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Member Support Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Member Services Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Member Engagement Director Denise Hill d.hill@bifa.org International Relations Advisor Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Adviser – Sustainable Logistics Mike Jones m.jones@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors Steve Parker, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Igor Popovics, Robert Keen, Denise Hill, Mike Jones Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editor to ensure that the item in question still reflects the current circumstances. Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.
A s I wrote this column in mid-June, I had just had a week with two very different days; both had an impact on our industry and association. Roy Baker Wednesday 15 May was certainly the saddest of my time at BIFA, when I attended Roy Baker’s funeral. Roy served the association for four decades, and there is a formal obituary to him in this edition, so my thoughts here are just personal ones. I was privileged to be on the BIFA board when Roy was also a board
member and latterly a Vice President. As such, we were present at many meetings and social events. I always found Roy to be a true gentleman who spoke wisely, and excellent company (especially if you wanted to talk about steam trains). I am pleased that last year I was able to find the opportunity to meet with him and even though he was clearly unwell, his mind was sharp and our conversation engaging. Carri Marais I guess many of you will not have known Carri, but she was a trainer at BIFA and one of our own. Sadly, on the day of Roy’s funeral, we heard she had passed away. Carri had been unwell for some time, it was nonetheless, still a shock and we will miss her. My thoughts and prayers go to both families as this time. Business Leaders Forum On 16 May, we held our third Business Leaders Forum. Over 130 signed up and nearly 100 were present, which represented the biggest attendance at the event to date. We had some excellent guest presenters. Ian Wilkins, deputy director at HMRC, spoke very openly about all things Customs and Border related. Then, Kelly Hobson, the founder and managing director of UK- based consultancy Shape Tomorrow, joined David de Picciotto, CEO and founder at Pledge, to give us a clear update on the direction of travel regarding the environment and sustainability issues. My thanks go to all three of them and I hope all those gathered left at least one word wiser than when they arrived. Please place 10 October 2024 in your diary. This is planned as an enhanced Business Leaders Forum as we hope by then ITN Business will have completed the documentary that it is working on about our industry and use this as the launch event. BIFAlink TV As I have mentioned the Business Leaders Forum, I must also advise that we are planning a significant change to the way we communicate with you electronically; instead of weekly newsletters and ad-hoc messages, from 1 July we plan to launch a daily email sent to you early every morning and containing just one topic. We are calling this your Daily Dose of Industry Information . The topic will be clearly outlined in the email header, so if you don’t want to read it all you can file it in your BIFA folder and keep it in case it becomes useful later. However, if you do want to read it, the email contains a link to a short video in which we will explain what you need to know on that topic. Key to this being useful and successful is that we have the correct details for all BIFA corporate Members and your staff. To that end we are working on our database and you will soon receive an email asking you to confirm the contact details we need. Multimodal 2024 Finally, I am at this event on all three days and will be happy to talk to any of you. Just come along to our stand in the BIFA Forwarders Village and say hi.
Director General
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Industry News
Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business
Southampton handles pair of mega boxships
slow down after a busy start to the year, according to analysis by Xeneta, which says that additional belly capacity is affecting the dynamic load factor. OVERLAND TT Club, which is well known for its campaign to increase awareness of the risks associated with overnight parking of trucks, emphasised recently that over 70% of cargo thefts globally in 2023 were from trucks. It welcomed the UK government’s 12-month Task and Finish Group (TFG) project, as part of its contribution to encouraging the adoption of better security and safer rest facilities at truck stops. Overly restrictive and inconsistent police enforcement across a number of forces on abnormal load movements costs the economy an estimated £584million per year, according to an impact assessment based on independent research commissioned by The Abnormal Loads Group. IN BUSINESS The third year of the £7 million Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator was launched on 1May 2024. With £1.8 million targeted at boosting British freight decarbonisation efforts, SMEs can receive government funding to support the freight sector in deploying AI technology and automation to improve the way trains, lorries, vans and ships carry parcels and goods. The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) has called on UK government to provide greater transparency on its approach to decarbonising the UK transport industry, stating that greater clarity would improve investor confidence and unlock growth opportunities for the transport sector.
ON THE QUAYSIDE DP World Southampton handled two of the world’s largest container vessels simultaneously for the first time, in April, following ABP’s investment in widening the channel within the Western Docks. This enables ABP Marine Pilots to manoeuvre ultra-large vessels to other berths in DP World’s container terminal. ON THE OCEAN April saw a new record for containership deliveries with 50 newbuilds delivered adding 330,000 teu to global capacity, according to analyst Alphaliner, following delivery of 41 newbuilds in March with 260,000 teu of capacity.
Manila Express berths at Southampton
Conflict in the Red Sea has brought massive carbon emissions increases in ocean freight container shipping, according to the Xeneta and Marine Benchmark Carbon Emissions Index (CEI), which
measures carbon emissions per ton of cargo transported across the world’s top 13 trades. The index hit 107.4 points in Q1 2024 – the highest it has been since it began in Q1 2018. Container shipping lines appear to have stabilised services during disruptions in the Red Sea region, with major carriers showing the first improvement in schedule reliability in five months, according to figures released by Sea-Intelligence in early May. The report evaluates schedule reliability across 34 trade lanes and showed that container carriers improved their reliability by 1.6% in March 2024, versus the prior month, and achieved the highest level so far in 2024. In 2023, 2.3 million teu of containership capacity was delivered, beating the former all-time high by 37%, according to BIMCO, as year- to-date another record was set with more than 1 million teu of capacity delivered during the first four months of 2024. IN THE AIR April was the fourth month in a row that global air cargo demand increased by over 11%, but the market has begun to
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BIFA News
A rising star: BIFA’s fi rst apprentice earns distinction
Since the inception of the freight forwarding Trailblazer group, BIFA has been a big advocate of apprenticeships, encouraging members to provide career opportunities via this pathway. A couple of years ago, to practice what we preach, BIFA recruited its first ever apprentice to the newly formed communications team. Brooke Neilson (pictured) joined BIFA in September 2022 and was enrolled on the Public Relations and Communications apprenticeship standard. Fast forward 18 months and BIFA is proud to announce that Brooke has completed her apprenticeship and achieved a distinction. Carl Hobbis, member services director, explained more: “Brooke is an exceptional individual who has made an enormous impact at BIFA. “I could see her confidence growing as her line manager, Natalie Pitts, gradually gave her more responsibility. She was also building up nice relationships with the small
OBITUARY Roy Baker Vice President of BIFA All at BIFA were sad to hear of the passing of Roy Baker in April. Roy began his working life on the railways but joined the forwarding industry working for International Express until the demise of the company in the 1970s. Roy then formed his own successful company, International Forwarding, in the Midlands. Later in life Roy sold his shares to work colleagues but continued to work part time for International Forwarding all his life. He was a staunch supporter of the Institute of Freight Forwarders, becoming chair of the Midlands branch and eventually becoming national chair of BIFA from 1993 to 1995. Roy rejoined the BIFA board in 2005 and then served on the BIFA Council as a vice president until recently. In the 1990s, BIFA organised a competition to name the monthly magazine started by the association and it was Roy who came up with the title, BIFAlink . Tributes we have received all seem to reflect his calming influence when there were disagreements and his insightful guidance from past experiences. We will miss his wise counselling.
Natalie Pitts (l) presents Brooke Neilson with her certificate
team at BIFA and external suppliers while gaining respect as the quality of her work was evident. “Brooke has shown maturity beyond her years to everyday work; she is proactive, professional, engaging, has ideas and gets on with people of all ages and abilities. It is no surprise that she achieved the distinction.” Her coach, Junior Masandi, Seetec, commented: “Brooke’s dedication, hard work, and
commitment to mastering this complex field have been evident throughout. Her achievements are a testament to her talent and perseverance, and they fill me with immense pride.” Now is the time of year to start thinking about your future talent. If you need any support or guidance about apprenticeships, contact Carl Hobbis at c.hobbis@bifa.org
David Stroud elected UKACC Chairman 2024
BIFA is delighted that the United Kingdom Air Cargo Club has elected David Stroud (pictured) to be chair for 2024. David has been the BIFA Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air since 2019 and chairs the BIFA Air Cargo Policy Group. On his appointment, David commented: “I am very proud to have been elected as chair of this great organisation. Our intent is two-fold. To network with like-minded people in our industry and, secondly and most importantly, to raise money for a worthwhile cause whilst we are doing so. I have chosen Alzheimer’s Society as this year’s charity.
members and friends, re- living a moment or a short conversation over and again. “Dementia is progressive, meaning signs and symptoms may be relatively mild at first, but they get worse with time. It knows no boundaries. If you wish to learn more, please visit www.alzheimers.org.uk” Membership of UKACC is free and open to anyone associated with or working in the freight industry (road, air, sea). It is a social networking club that organises a number of events throughout the year. Visit: www.ukacc2000.co.uk/ to find out more and join.
“I do not doubt that we all have someone we know who is living with some form of dementia – whether it be a family member, a friend, or an old work colleague. “My own mother is living with vascular dementia, so I have seen first-hand the effect it has on the supporting family
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BIFA News
Understanding requirements
for Proof of Origin On 15 May, over 450
individuals joined the BIFA webinar Rules & proof of origin for preferential trade schemes including DCTS , delivered by representatives from HMRC. During the presentation, HMRC explained that proof of origin must be in existence at the time that the claim is made – in other words at the time of the Customs declaration. If it is not available, the declaration should be submitted without a claim for preference and duty paid, it is then possible to make a retrospective claim once the relevant proof of origin has been obtained. Direct transport, non- alteration and non-manipulation rules were explained in detail as was the structure of the three preference tiers existing under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). For further information on this subject, contact Igor Popovics, Policy & Compliance advisor – Customs, at BIFA by email at i.popovics@bifa.org
BIFA delegation discusses world issues with FIATA Left to right: David Stroud, Robert Keen, Steve Parker, Mark Bromley, John Stubbings and Jamie McKean
BIFA sent a delegation to represent UK interests at the recent FIATA HQ Meeting. The meeting comprised four intensive days of interactive discussion and workshops, attended by over 250 participants from some 60 territories worldwide, embodying the theme ‘Uniting for Resilience’. The annual landmark event takes place at FIATA headquarters in Geneva each spring and brings together industry leaders, subject matter
experts and practitioners from the freight forwarding and logistics community around the world to address pressing industry challenges and opportunities, with a focus on building resilience to volatile externalities. Taking place in the wake of significant supply chain uncertainty and shocks, FIATA president Turgut Erkeskin, stressed: “This unpredictable environment led to the restructuring of global supply chains with a more
protectionist approach, giving rise to nearshoring and allied shoring policies and changing the course of globalisation”. The FIATA president highlighted that the “global environment is expected to remain volatile and unstable”, a new normal in which freight forwarders and other supply chain actors will operate. For more information on the FIATA 2024 HQ meeting and
the topics discussed, visit https://fiata.org/fiata-hq- meeting/ The Limits of Liability for Carriers
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Business Leaders
addressing environmental impacts within global supply chains. Q&A with HMRC Attendees were provided with a topical overview from Ian Wilkins, Deputy Director at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), explaining the current situation regarding the considerable changes at the border that form part of the government’s Border Target Operating Model. Explaining the migration of Customs exports from CHIEF to CDS, Wilkins said that while permission to use CHIEF for an additional four weeks in June may be granted in exceptional circumstances, he reiterated HMRC’s advice that CHIEF will be decommissioned in July and that this deadline is definitive. Wilkins also provided some insight into future developments in the Customs environment on other issues such as the Windsor Framework, NI Protocol and Trader Support Service (TSS), as well as the Single Trade Window (STW). Looking ahead Commenting on a decline in the numbers undertaking BIFA training courses over the past year, Parker re-emphasised the importance that training has to all of the standards that underpin the activities of BIFA members. Explaining some initiatives in which BIFA is involved to address this, Parker also reiterated his belief that, with youngsters about to leave school, there is no time like the present for Members to consider recruiting apprentices. The forum concluded with a sneak preview of a documentary about the logistics industry that is being produced by ITN Business in which BIFA has a major involvement. It is hoped that this will be aired at the next Business Leaders Forum. So, record the date in your diaries for the fourth BIFA Business Leaders Forum, which will take place on 10 October 2024. If you have not been receiving invites to these events, contact bifacomms@bifa.org to be added to the mailing list.
A large attendance heard from BIFA’s Director General Steve Parker about the current work of the secretariat and the various policy groups Growing interest in BIFA Business Leaders Forums
B IFA’s third Business Leaders Forum held in Central London on 16 May clearly demonstrated how this event is gaining in traction, providing attendees with fi rsthand insight on some of the numerous issues that BIFA feels will have an impact on the work of freight forwarding and logistics companies, both currently and in the longer term. Around 100 personnel from the trade association and BIFA Members attended the event and heard from BIFA’s Director General Steve Parker about the current work of the secretariat and the various policy groups. He reiterated his call for attendees to contribute to the work of these groups by considering membership for themselves, or someone from their company.
“ The forum concluded with a sneak preview of a documentary about the logistics industry that is being produced by ITN Business in which BIFA has a major involvement
Towards sustainable logistics The work of BIFA’s Sustainable Logistics Policy Group, which is less than a year old, was brought into focus at the event and the audience enjoyed informative presentations from guest speakers Kelly Hobson of Shape Tomorrow and David de Picciotto from Pledge. During their presentations, they covered the 3Ps: People – Planet – Profit, and the importance of considering these when implementing sustainability strategies into businesses. Hobson and Picciotto stressed the ever-growing significance of sustainability as an issue within the freight transport and logistics industry, as well as emphasising the importance of understanding and
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We re on Stand 3062
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Air Ocean Road Imports Exports All customs declarations Worksheet automation Customs Tariff CFSP management Customs Warehousing Duty management NCTS Transit (CT) Guarantee management Import ETSF Export DEP management Job costing and invoicing Air waybills and eAWB Bills of lading Barcoded cargo labels Consignment security declarations Collection and Delivery documentation Consolidation management and Manifests eDocument management Comprehensive web services API Limitless integration Limitless automation Online Data and Document Archiving
Policy & Compliance
bugs, which is very similar to the current CDS experience. What most people remember now is CHIEF in its later life when it was very reliable. At the start it was most certainly not! Still, having spoken to industry experts and HMRC officers, we can only recall two major outages in 30 years. One of them is believed to have been caused by someone cutting through a cable – hence the benefit of Cloud-based services some may say. The other was caused by an agent trying to send a file with 250,000 declarations and because they did not get a response within 5 seconds – optimistic even for CHIEF – they kept pressing ‘send’ and blocked ‘the pipes’, which took the system out for 48 hours. In CHIEF’s defence, one could argue that neither case was actually the fault of CHIEF. Many upgrades It is also worth reminding users that towards the end CHIEF had had so many upgrades – SAD H being the last major one – that, to quote an industry insider “some said when you lifted the lid it looked like it was held together with duct-tape and sticking plasters – but still it did what it said on the tin”. Nothing lasts forever though and even a system as reliable as CHIEF needs a break, so around 2013 HMRC started planning for CHIEF’s replacement. After 20 years, the platform CHIEF had been built on was feeling its age. It was also becoming expensive and difficult to maintain. But most importantly CHIEF, built around the EDIFACT and SAD formats, could not meet the requirements of the Union Customs Code (UCC) and the new Customs data model implemented alongside it. This is when the Customs Declaration Service enters the stage. Built on a different premise, modular, more flexible and, most importantly, compatible with a new Customs data model, we hope CDS will provide a worthy successor to the tried and tested CHIEF. Will it be with us for 30 years? In an even faster changing world this does not seem realistic, but then who would have thought in the late 1980s that a system in development then would still be up and running in 2024.
2010, the system’s management was handed over from BT to Aspire, a joint Venture between Capgemini and Fujitsu. It was a move criticised by many later and the contract was terminated in 2017. Few may now remember, but when CHIEF was first launched it followed a very similar release pattern to that which we have seen June 2024 – Farewell to CHIEF and welcome CDS “ Built on a As we reach the end of the unexpectedly long CHIEF era, can we expect similar longevity from its successor, the Customs Declaration Service?
T uesday 4 June, 2024, marks a historic moment for Customs agents and freight forwarders in the UK. On this day, the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system will be switched off for general use and made accessible to only a very limited number of users under emergency conditions. In the freight forwarding industry, few systems can be compared with CHIEF and the impact it has had. And CHIEF itself was not the first electronic Customs data processing system. Before CHIEF it was DEPS, ACP80 & ACP90, Travicom and even earlier some may remember the London Airport Customs Electronic Data Processing Scheme (LACES) – Launched in 1994 and originally developed and managed by BT, CHIEF was in operation for 30 years. The development works started in the late 1980s after a series of issues related to a short-lived Customs system developed by Travicom. In allegedly the first electronic Customs computer system.
different premise, modular, more fl exible and, most importantly, compatible with a new Customs data model, we hope CDS will provide a worthy successor to the tried and tested CHIEF
for the implementation of its replacement, the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). Complex processes
The imports module went live first, and exports followed a few months later. The reasons behind that schedule were also very similar to those behind the release schedule of CDS – namely the complexity of the export process where different parties assume different roles in an environment which is different to that of an inventory-linked import. And CHIEF was not perfect to begin with. Industry veterans may remember this, when CHIEF went live in 1994 it did so with 100s of live
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Policy & Compliance
Safety culture essential for sustainable supply chain Future sustainability of the sometimes fragile global supply chain must revolve around a fundamental safety culture throughout all operators and organisations involved, according to international freight and cargo handling insurer TT Club
to mitigate invasive pests in freight containers and increased cyber security risk as ports automate; increased Customs documentation errors and clandestine immigration threats; help from drone technology and the dangers of plastic micro pellet spillages. Attention to a broad spectrum of hazards is essential in developing the all-important safety culture. “TT has recently witnessed a renewed focus and commitment towards loss prevention activities, with additional emphasis placed on the Club’s mission statement to make the industry safer, more secure and more sustainable,” commented Mike Yarwood, loss prevention managing director. “Greater safety goes hand-in- hand with enhanced security and consequently sustainability. TT’s mutual ethos demands that we guide those we insure – and indeed the wider industry – in all aspects of risk through the container transport and global logistics supply chain. Via our latest Year in Focus we aim to add to the large canon of knowledge and guidance.”
“T he importance of culture within an organisation, particularly where safety is concerned, cannot be under- estimated,” said Josh Finch, TT Club logistics risk manager. “Safety is everybody’s responsibility and everybody has a voice in safety matters. A strong safety culture will positively impact safety performance.” In an increasingly risk intense global supply environment, a greater emphasis on safety will help avoid critical incidents such as fire, cargo damage and vessel loss, which further exacerbate shortages, congestion and human suffering.
This message pervades the loss prevention work of TT and is exemplified in a variety of studies and reports published in the insurer’s latest review of current and ongoing risk trends – A Year in Focus* . Pervasive safety culture TT’s view of a pervasive safety culture is represented by a number of contributions in this publication. Analysis of its own claims data and detailed research into a range of risks across the supply chain results in reports on and advisable actions
Scan the QR code to download the Year in Focus publication.
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Policy & Compliance
The agent’s role in moving sanitary and phyto-sanitary goods into the UK
The moving of food stuffs subject to SPS controls has always been associated with additional operational administrative requirements. However, freight forwarders are now also becoming responsible for the legal side of affairs
which is the retained EU legislation, uses the term person/operator responsible for the load/ consignment (PRFL) but the definition of the term is very fluid and rather contractual (confusingly the Border Target Operating Model assigns this role to the driver who, in reality, is very unlikely to be aware of the requirements applicable to the commodity on the trailer). Additionally, different approaches to animals/animal products and plants and/or plant products mean that depending on the classification of a product, the agent’s role may be understood differently. For plants and plant products, for example, it is the importer who in principle is liable for any associated SPS charges. It is worth noting here that in IPAFFS, an intermediary functionality currently only exists for plants and plant products, so in circumstances where an agent has undertaken the IPAFFS notification, the liability for the cost will rest with the end importer. With regards to detected non-
W hen DEFRA released the details of the Common User Charge (CUC), BIFA highlighted a number of the CUC- related issues as reasons for concern. The charge was announced very late, and it immediately became very clear that the system did not offer anything other than just basic functionalities. For instance, the payment mechanism allowed for only one paying party to be declared on the system. Little thought had been given to goods transiting the UK as the requirement for the payer to be established in the UK could not be enforceable when no party involved in the movement of goods was actually present in the UK. Traders are yet to receive their first invoices after a 12-week grace period, but the system’s limitations
force many agents into effectively becoming debt collectors working on DEFRA’s behalf. This, one could say is a minor nuisance but in practice it is another administrative burden on the freight forwarder and associated with risk and a potential cashflow impact. Industry’s concern BIFA communicated the industry’s concern with regards to this and other issues related to the CUC and it is expected that certain improvements will be delivered in the future, although there is no clarity as to what this may mean exactly. What is also concerning is that there still seems to be a lot of confusion about the agent’s role in the supply chain of sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) goods. The legislation, the majority of
“ What is also concerning is that there still seems to be a lot of confusion about the agent’s role in the supply chain of SPS goods
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Policy & Compliance
BIFA comments on the latest NAO report O n 20 May, the National Audit Of fi ce (NAO) released its report on the state of the UK’s post-EU exit border ambitions. Having read the report, Robert Windsor, Member Policy & Compliance Director, said: “In December 2020, when the government announced its intentions to develop the world’s most effective border by 2025, eyebrows were raised by many who manage the supply chains that underpin the UK’s visible international trade. Over the intervening period, BIFA has expressed its concerns about many of the issues that are now included in the NAO Report, as our Members experience and try to overcome the practical difficulties associated with many of the new procedures associated with achieving that goal. The most effective border in the world is a worthy aspiration, but the NAO Report indicates that it is an aspiration that is a long way off. Timetables for various programmes have repeatedly changed and goalposts have
the consignment to: a) Destroy the consignment; b) Re-dispatch the consignment outside [F241Great Britain] in accordance with Article 72(1) and (2); or c) Subject the consignment to special treatment in accordance with Article 71(1) and (2), or to any other measure necessary to ensure compliance with the rules referred to in Article 1(2), and, where appropriate, allocate the consignment for purposes other than those for which it was originally intended. Additionally, agents need to remember that IPAFFS is not the only system they may need to use. PHILIS, a system well known to some already, also needs to be used in certain cases to arrange for PHA charges. Conclusions Moving goods subject to SPS controls has always been associated with additional administrative requirements. Freight forwarders and Customs agents, however, usually experienced those requirements on an operational level without being legally liable for the SPS side of moving food stuffs. This is changing now but the legal territory still seems to be uncharted in this regard, so BIFA Members are encouraged to make careful consideration before they engage in this new role. BIFA will be monitoring further developments, both legal and operational, and will keep updating members accordingly. Legislation: • England: SI 2019/1517: The Official Controls (Plant Health and Genetically Modified Organisms) (England) Regulations 2019; • Scotland: SSI 2019/421: The Plant Health (Official Controls and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2019; • Wales: WSI 2020/206: The Official Controls (Plant Health (and Genetically Modified Organisms) (Wales) Regulations 2020.
compliance when importing plants and/or plant products, BIFA was told by DEFRA that “liability will vary depending upon the type of non- compliance, but this may include action against breaches of the regulatory requirements by the importer its agent/the BCP/the port operator”. What is not clear is how the liability will vary and the legislation itself is rather unspecific in this regard. When it comes to import or transit of animal products into/via Great Britain, the operator responsible for the consignment – named in Box I.8 of the Common Health Import Document (CHED) import notification – will be deemed to be liable for all associated SPS charges and non- compliance enforcement action, but not necessarily for the CUC. For animal products, agents acting as the PRFL on another company’s behalf also need to submit notifications from their own account in IPAFFS as the system does not currently offer an intermediary functionality. They can obviously add the importer’s details in IPAFFS, but the fact that the intermediary functionality is missing is another reason for concern. Implications for agents What this means for agents becoming PRFL is that they will need to consider their position carefully and arrange for a specific contractual agreement between themselves and the importer. Additionally, as DEFRA expects the person lodging an IPAFFS declaration to be established in the UK, special consideration should be given to imports of goods by non- established traders usually, but not exclusively, associated with DDP movements. When it comes to non- compliance, agents assuming the role of the PRFL will need to bear in mind that the authorities will direct any corrective or punitive measures at them. For instance, Article 66.3 Regulation (EU) 2017/625 reads as follows: The competent authority shall, as regards the consignment referred to in paragraph 1 order, without delay, the operator responsible for
“ A particular point that BIFA has made on behalf of its Members is the lack of detailed guidance issued by some government departments, which has adversely affected trade flows.
repeatedly moved, often to the dismay and cost of those businesses that are responsible for managing international trade crossing the UK border. A particular point that BIFA has made on behalf of its Members is the lack of detailed guidance issued by some government departments, which has
adversely affected trade flows. As yet there are no clear policies beyond a Single Trade Window, use of which is voluntary, and currently offers nothing to any users handling more than a very small number of shipments. The government needs to take on board the comments contained within the NAO report and provide clarity for business on all the details of how it intends to deliver the world’s most effective border, with a realistic and workable timeline which will allow sufficient planning and implementation time to provide workable solutions to enable the existing or revised border and trading arrangements to be implemented. In light of the comments made in the NAO’s report, it is not surprising that BIFA Members are losing confidence in the government’s ability to deliver that clarity, without which the UK’s international supply chains remain at risk.”
The full report can be seen here: www.nao.org.uk/reports/the-uk-border- implementing-an-effective-trade-border/
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Member Engagement
Keeping Members informed
Radius Warehouse and Logistics Services as chairperson for the region. Alex has a wealth of forwarding experience and Members are encouraged to get in touch with him so that he can represent their views at BIFA Council. Alex will work closely with Paul Cunningham to ensure regional issues and events are communicated to Members. James Stangroom, director at Bristol Port Company, provided the Members with an overview of the company’s history and its business activities. The Bristol Port Company runs two docks – Royal Portbury Dock and Avonmouth Dock. There has been investment of £645million over the last 33 years at Bristol Port, which handles over 8.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum. The BIFA team updated Members on all policy areas with CDS exports, aviation security and planned sustainability reporting legislation being the topics that raised the most discussion.
Northern England & the Midlands
Members in the south of the Midlands area. Members arrived for breakfast sandwiches and coffee to hear from Bruce Hailey about the issues he has seen recently and some suggestions as to how BIFA Members can better protect themselves. Again, Bruce received a number of detailed questions to which he gave succinct guidance. Carl Hobbis addressed the meeting, giving updates on the apprenticeship scheme, BIFA training courses and details of a new sponsored training development available to Members with locations in West Midlands local authority region. South & South West Opening the Avonmouth regional meeting, Paul Cunningham was delighted to welcome Alex Large of
In April we hosted two meetings in the Midlands area, the first being near East Midlands Airport, with a number of Members in attendance. Andrew Melton, regional representative and Robert Windsor, Member Policy & Compliance Director, brought Members up-to- date with the latest information from the policy groups. Bruce Hailey of Salvus Law apprised those present on the issues he is seeing across his legal practice’s desks, including issues relating to indirect representation and duty under-payments. This generated a lot of discussion and interaction around the room. The meeting concluded with information about the training available from BIFA. The second meeting was held at the Holiday Inn Coventry for
Avonmouth YFN Group launches with Bristol ports tour
BIFA continues to grow the Young Forwarder Network with the first meeting of the newly formed Avonmouth region centring around a tour of Bristol ports. James Stangroom, director at the Bristol Port Company, gave 10 Members a really insightful tour of the Avonmouth and Portbury ports. Cars, jet fuel, aggregates, construction equipment, containers and many other types of cargo are handled
across the two ports, giving an impressive operational capability. YFN Members from the region learnt from seeing the operations up close and networked after the tour discussing the realities of freight forwarding and ideas for the next meeting. The local committee would like to thank James and his colleagues at the Bristol Port Company for their generous hospitality.
BIFA Regional Representative, Paul Cunningham (left), accompanies Members of the newly formed Avonmouth YFN Members on a tour of Bristol port.
14 | June 2024
www.bifa.org
READY TO WELCOME YOU TO MULTIMODAL 2024
June 2024 | 15
www.bifa.org
Multimodal 2024
BIFA at Multimodal 2024
B IFA has been in attendance at Members, the international freight forwarders and logistics professionals responsible for managing the movement of goods on behalf of the UK’s exporters and importers. Multimodal since its inception in 2008 promoting the services of its
The show is visited by individuals in all sectors of the logistics and international freight industry, including cargo owners, shippers, carriers, software providers and many others. The BIFA Forwarders Village provides an excellent showcase for BIFA Members with 42 Log Pods (logistics providers’
pods), and for 2024 is fully booked. Those exhibiting within the BIFA Forwarders Village include freight forwarders, suppliers and carriers. Members of the BIFA secretariat will be at the show on all three days to meet you and chat about your business and current issues – come along and talk to us…
TALK TO:
About:
TuesWedThur
✓
✓
✓
Steve Parker
Anything
✓
✓
✓
Robert Windsor
Customs, Maritime, Legal matters & BIFA STC
Steve Parker
Robert Windsor
Carl Hobbis
✓
✓
✓
Carl Hobbis
Apprenticeships &
Young Forwarder Network
✓
✓
Spencer Stevenson BIFA Membership
✓
✓
Denise Hill
Member Engagement
& Events
Spencer Stevenson
Denise Hill
Sharon Hammond
✓
✓
✓
Sharon Hammond BIFA Events,
BIFA Awards, BIFAlink
✓
Mike Jones
Sustainable Logistics
✓
Claire Capaccioli Training
Mike Jones
Claire Capaccioli
Graeme Wilkinson
✓
Graeme Wilkinson Training
✓
✓
Liz Sumner
Training
Regional member events ✓ in Northern England & the Midlands
✓
Andrew Melton
Liz Sumner
Andrew Melton Paul Cunningham
Paul Cunningham Regional member events ✓
✓
in London west, the south & south west
Regional member events ✓ in the south east, London East and Anglia
✓
Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Shelby Merchant
Brooke Neilson
✓
✓
Shelby Merchant BIFA events
✓
✓
Brooke Neilson
BIFA communications, Young Forwarder Network
VIP registration
16 | June 2024
www.bifa.org
Multimodal 2024
Sustainable Logistics In quarter 1 2024 on behalf of its sustainability partner Pledge IO BIFA surveyed Members’ preparedness for scope 3 reporting of carbon emissions. The results have been analysed by specialists at Pledge and BIFA is looking forward to the publication of the report at Multimodal 2024. Mike Jones, Policy & Compliance Advisor – Sustainability will be available to discuss the work of the BIFA Sustainable Logistics Policy Group on Tuesday 11 June. BIFA Awards 2024 It has been traditional in recent years for BIFA to launch the BIFA Freight Service Awards on the Wednesday at Multimodal, following on from the Multimodal Awards evening. Come along and chat with the BIFA Events team, Sharon Hammond and Shelby Merchant, during the show for further information .
“ BIFA, as an SME itself, has also successfully employed apprentices and is now in an even better position to offer advice and top tips to those who may be struggling
How to make an apprenticeship work
D o you want to understand the secrets to making apprenticeships work? Then come and meet with Member services director Carl Hobbis, who led the Trailblazer Group to develop the International Freight Forwarding Specialist standard in 2018. BIFA, as an SME itself, has also
successfully employed apprentices and is now in an even better position to offer advice and top tips to those who may be struggling. Carl will be at the show for all three days and would love to discuss all things around attracting,
onboarding and retaining talent through the apprenticeship route. Come and join the Young Forwarder Network meet-up
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
BIFA hosts: Carl Hobbis and Brooke Neilson
BIFA hosts: Liz Sumner and Shelby Merchant
BIFA hosts: Carl Hobbis and Sharon Hammond
T he BIFA stand is an open house so feel free to come along at any time during the exhibition and meet the team, we would love to see you! Whilst we welcome anyone at any time, we are hosting official Young Forwarder Network meet-ups each day: Tuesday and Wednesday (14:00) and Thursday (11:00).
Come along and meet other like-minded members of the YFN from across the country. We are also hosting a free- YFN Ambassadors: Georgia Gibson and Maddison Edwards
to-enter raffle each day for employees of BIFA Members who are feeling lucky. So if you are already a member of the YFN Ambassadors: Charlotte Duff and Brooke Flower
YFN Ambassadors: Leanne Read and Lydia Henderson
YFN or would like to sign-up, speak to the BIFA team and leave your details to enter the daily draw.
June 2024 | 17
www.bifa.org
Multimodal 2024
YFN: Majority of events to be CPD accredited
BIFA trainers: Graeme Wilkinson, Claire Capaccioli and Liz Sumner
B IFA is pleased to announce that it is aiming to get the majority of YFN
events accredited for continuous professional development (CPD). The first event to gain the accreditation took place on 23 May, when the guest speaker was PC Matthew Bates of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), who explained how the police are working with the logistics community to combat international vehicle crime. Carl Hobbis, Member services director, who founded the YFN in 2019, said: “We have now held over 125 events since its inception, which is great. However, we want to professionalise them even more by fitting them to the CPD structure and guidelines, including specific learning objectives, etc. “Hopefully, with this change, employers will perceive them differently and encourage young people to attend more of them around the country. YFN events, which are all free to BIFA Members, have always provided learning experiences and the knowledge participants gain gets brought back to their businesses. “This change does not go against the general concept of the YFN, with the less formal element that younger people prefer, delegates can still build up their professional network which is paramount.” If you or any of your colleagues would like to be added to the YFN mailing list, contact bifacomms@bifa.org and follow the YFN on Linked In. Member Engagement Denise Hill, Member Engagement Director, and Regional Representatives Andrew Melton, Paul Cunningham and Paul Newman look forward to welcoming BIFA members to the stand and discussing the calendar of regional and national meetings that exist to provide the opportunity for two-way discussion on the issues of the day .
Meet the trainers at MM24
H ave a question about training? Our training team have over 90 years’ experience between them and will be present over all three days of the show. Come along and say hello and fi nd out what we could do for you. It will be a great opportunity for you to find out about:
• Bespoke courses • In-house training • Training bundles • Special MM24 Show Offer
Come along and speak to the team. Tuesday - Claire Capaccioli Wednesday - Graeme Wilkinson and Liz Sumner Thursday - Liz Sumner
A pprentices and other younger (under 32) employees of BIFA Member companies are The events listed below have been planned for June through to October at venues across the country. Young Forwarder Network programme of events welcome to join the Young Forwarder Network and attend both in-person and virtual events.
4 June 14 June 20 June 18 July 25 July 25 July 31 July
Midlands
Nestle Warehouse Tour
Solent Anglia
WW Solutions Terminal Operations Tour Port of Felixstowe tour (with breakfast)
Heathrow Northwest Heathrow Heathrow London East Heathrow Virtual
Heathrow Airport (TBC)
Ross Barnett, Emirates (Breakfast meeting)
Emirates Freighter Tour
Stepping into Management, Cameron Hancock, DHL
September September October
Summer social
Marine Insurance Masterclass, CNA Hardy
Event Logistics, EFM Go to https://bifa.org/events/ for more information and to register to attend.
18 | June 2024
www.bifa.org
BIFA Awards
Leach added: “It involved a lot of hours. We worked around the clock.” Hemisphere director Louis Perrin pointed out that Morgan, who is based in Ipswich, travelled to Avonmouth regularly in order to manage the project in person. “We are very hands-on with project management,” Perrin said. “We believe it is important to be present. You can learn so much that way, and you can see problems arising and be there to deal with them on the spot without delay. Having project managers on site makes Hemisphere different to other companies. It strengthens communication with our suppliers and customers.” Other than the shipping line complication, the main challenges involved in the project were high winds at installation sites, extra foundation works and complications around installing pylons in protected areas – for example, those that were home to nesting wildlife. “We had to swap or cancel our plans at the last minute sometimes,” Morgan said. “We had to be dynamic and quick-thinking.” Port-centric Currently, Leach said Hemisphere has a variety of work including importing electric buses, machinery and cars valued at over US$20 million. The company is also in the process of building a new 245,000 sq ft warehouse at Great Blakenham near Felixstowe. This modern facility will provide 3PL ful fi lment services, including for the rapidly growing e-commerce market. It will have 35,000 racked pallet locations and 8,000 bulk pallet locations, a state- of-the-art warehouse management system and automated handling equipment. The warehouse will be carbon neutral, with any extra electricity from its solar panels going back to the grid in the summer. Its location near the port of Felixstowe reduces transport miles, journey time, cost and CO 2 emissions. “Growing our port-centric infrastructure is part of our core strategy: we want to be our customers’ total logistics provider for all their logistics and supply chain needs, and have a positive impact on their business,” Perrin said.
The project involved four breakbulk vessels’ worth of cargo
Hemisphere handles Hinkley power challenge
Juggling the requirements of suppliers, clients, port and shipping lines, Hemisphere Freight Services played a vital role in the UK National Grid’s fl agship Hinkley Connection Project – and claimed BIFA’s Project Forwarding Award into the bargain
T he three-year Hinkley Connection Project, completed in 2023, saw Hemisphere transport 116 brand new world- fi rst ‘T-pylons’ to their fi nal installation sites along a 57km route between Bridgewater, Somerset, and Seabank near Avonmouth. Four breakbulk vessels’ worth of cargo, totalling 673 pieces with a combined weight of 580,000 kg and overall volume of 26,200 cu m, had to be discharged, stored and transported to sites across the region. “We put in a lot of time, energy and conversations to fi nd solutions that would work for everybody,” said project logistics specialist Daniel Morgan. “It is important to get in front of people – to travel, have in-person meetings, and bring suppliers and customers together.” A clear example of the importance of this approach occurred when the shipping line wanted two vessels to arrive at Avonmouth simultaneously –
something the port was unable to handle. Morgan recalled: “It was frantic. Detention rates can be tens of thousands of dollars per day so we had to adjust the plan with the port and the vessel. We were there on site to liaise between the stevedores and the captain. In the end we unloaded the two vessels back to back.” Projects team manager Dan
Dan Leach (left) and Dan Morgan, Hemisphere Freight Service
Project Forwarding Award
Macbeth Insurance Brokers are extremely proud to continue the association with the freight and logistics sector that began over 40 years ago under the Peter Lole & Co
name. Whether your business specialises in freight by sea, air, road or rail, or handles specific goods, we can provide advice on insurance cover, applicable trading conditions and contractual obligations.
20 | June 2024
www.bifa.org
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