Recognising the complexities and the uncertainties that the upcoming consequences of Brexit will bring for all stakeholders in the UK and EU, international freight transport insurer, TT Club has launched a Brexit webpage resource in an attempt to bring clarity.

London, 27^th October 2020

TT’s aim in providing this online resource is to collate, in a single accessible location, a wide variety of available information that is likely to be of importance to its Members and entities across all jurisdictions and disciplines in the freight supply chain.* Through researched articles and the webpage’s dynamic frequently asked questions area, TT will endeavour to develop practical guidance and advice in relation to the complex challenges that have already arisen and will continue to emerge in the wake of Brexit.

What is clear is that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) has left the European Union (EU) and in doing so will also leave the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union. The end of the current transition period on 31 December 2020 is now fast approaching, after which import and export declarations will be required, regardless of whether a trade deal is agreed between the UK and the EU.

“As a result, there will be significant changes to the current processes of moving goods between the UK and the EU. However, Northern Ireland (NI) will be subject to a different regime under the NI Protocol”, states Mike Yarwood Managing Director Loss Prevention at TT. “All stakeholders involved in the cross-border movement of goods will need to be aware of the changes, make appropriate decisions and adjust systems and processes at the earliest opportunity to avoid unnecessary disruption.”

Acknowledging that the Club’s membership spans not only both the UK and the EU, but also globally, the site will strive to maintain a balanced approach to the provision of information that will be to the benefit of all, regardless of their location.

The changes will inevitably have an impact on the operations of diverse stakeholders in the supply chain to a greater or lesser degree. Through its webpage resource TT aims to inform as many as possible across the industry — whether its drivers, haulage companies, freight forwarders, customs agencies, logistics operators or port operators.

Unfortunately, of course, many issues are yet to be clarified at government level and until such time that there is definitive guidance on customs procedures, trade agreements and solutions to potential transport disruption, no supply chain stakeholder will have the knowledge to prepare themselves entirely. TT’s webpage will continue to be updated through the process and respond to identified industry concerns.

* https://www.ttclub.com/products-and-services/loss-prevention/brexit/

About TT Club

TT Club is the established market-leading independent provider of mutual insurance and related risk management services to the international transport and logistics industry. TT Club’s primary objective is to help make the industry safer and more secure. Founded in 1968, the Club has more than 1100 Members, spanning container owners and operators, ports and terminals, and logistics companies, working across maritime, road, rail, and air. TT Club is renowned for its high-quality service, in-depth industry knowledge and enduring Member loyalty. It retains more than 93% of its Members with a third of its entire membership having chosen to insure with the Club for 20 years or more.

www.ttclub.com

The leading international freight transport and logistics insurer, TT Club has drawn attention to action required to reduce perishable cargo losses and refrigerated container failures and damage

London, 22 October, 2020

Analysis of the specialist insurer’s claims records for transport operators over the past three years shows temperature-controlled incidents ranking in third place. Almost 30% of these incidents involved a miscommunication of operational instructions on care of the cargo with a further 23% down to temperature setting errors. Reefer equipment failure or damage accounted for a quarter of the claims. Please see the attached infographic.

TT continues in its attempts to minimise losses for both its Members and all those involved in the cool supply chain with publicly available guidance documents such as StopLoss – Temperature Controlled Cargo, and increasingly via online webinars. The latest was held last week, entitled ‘Warm or cold: is it a game?’. With expert speakers, this forum contained causational information as well as advice on risk avoidance. A recording is available here.

“Our own experiences and the data drawn from our claims history was reinforced by over a third of webinar attendees, who when asked their perception of the primary risk factors, pointed to communications errors with ambiguous or incorrect instructions passed between supply chain stakeholders,” commented Mike Yarwood, TT’s Loss Prevention Managing Director.

The sensitivity of many commodities transported under temperature-controlled conditions puts the care of the product both before and during transit as a paramount concern. During TT’s webinar, Carsten Jensen, a consultant and surveyor specialising in perishable goods transport gave a comprehensive insight into the five key aspects that impinge on loss prevention: product quality; preparation of the goods; correct packaging and stowing; attention to temperature irregularities and prolonged storage and transit.

“Clearly a number of these processes are outwith the control of forwarder, carrier and terminal operator,” commented Yarwood. “But as the demand for unitised transport of perishables continues its upward trend, it is vital that the transport links in the chain become more informed about all the relevant processes to improve the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders.”

About TT Club

TT Club is the established market-leading independent provider of mutual insurance and related risk management services to the international transport and logistics industry. TT Club’s primary objective is to help make the industry safer and more secure. Founded in 1968, the Club has more than 1100 Members, spanning container owners and operators, ports and terminals, and logistics companies, working across maritime, road, rail, and air. TT Club is renowned for its high-quality service, in-depth industry knowledge and enduring Member loyalty. It retains more than 93% of its Members with a third of its entire membership having chosen to insure with the Club for 20 years or more.

www.ttclub.com

New report highlights country’s ongoing vulnerability to cargo theft as well as the trends during the first half of 2020. These include:

• Hijacking of vehicles in transit is the primary theft type
• Theft from facilities is on the rise
• Johannesburg and surrounding province remain chief region at risk
• An uptick in incidents of cargo theft in Eastern and Western Cape
• Food and beverages and medical supplies have seen an elevated number of thefts in Q2

London, 13October 2020

Having collaborated over the last three years to produce global reports on the incidence of cargo theft, international freight transport insurer TT Club and BSI, the business improvement company, have once again come together to highlight risk; this time, specifically focusing in on South Africa. The report, entitled ‘Freight Crime in South African Supply Chains’ is made possible by fusing the threat and intelligence data and analysis from BSI’s Supply Chain Risk Exposure Evaluation Network (SCREEN) and TT Club’s insurance risk management and loss prevention insights. The full report is downloadable here .

South Africa ranks among the top countries in the world, and first on the African continent, for BSI’s forecasted losses due to cargo theft, underscoring the significant economic impact of this issue in the nation. Historically, there is an inverse relationship between crime and economic growth in South Africa. However, this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of lockdowns and a decline in the economy, an additional layer was added to that relationship.

The economic decline, along with the changes brought about by a restrictive lockdown in response to COVID-19 earlier this year, left the freight sector in a vulnerable situation. South Africa is an environment traditionally characterised by cargo truck hijackings. Further, cross-border truck congestion and slower freight clearance created secondary disruptions that leave cargo even more susceptible to theft and general violence.    

The attached graphic – Cargo Theft Trends South Africa –  illustrates statistics from both the South African Police Service (SAPS) and news sources, in addition to those recorded by BSI’s SCREEN, and underlines the typical characteristics of cargo thefts occurring in the country. In total, three key trends resulted from BSI and TT’s research in 2019 and 2020: thefts from facilities increased during the first half of 2020; an uptick in incidents of cargo theft occurred in Eastern Cape and Western Cape between the first two quarters of 2020; and thefts of food and beverage and medical supplies increased in Q2 2020. The report’s authors emphasise that the understanding of cargo theft risk plays a big part in mitigating both the occurrence and impact of these incidents on stakeholders’ organisations and is crucial in building a truly resilient supply chain.

Mike Yarwood, TT Club’s Loss Prevention Managing Director stated, “As cargo theft continues to impact business operations and disrupt supply chains in South Africa and elsewhere, it is vital that companies stay on top of potential threats and risks. Security awareness and proactive risk management actions are essential steps in creating a risk-averse supply chain. In highlighting causal influences this report also points the way to how preventative measures can, and must, be introduced and enhanced to reverse the damaging trends.”

David Fairnie, BSI Principal Consultant for Supply Chain Security  added, “Understanding the threats in South Africa, detailed in this report, and incorporating the suggested preventative measures, including screening employees, implementing security management systems, and securing parking depots, will help organisations work towards developing more secure and resilient supply chains.”

ENDS

About TT Club

TT Club is the established market-leading independent provider of mutual insurance and related risk management services to the international transport and logistics industry. TT Club’s primary objective is to help make the industry safer and more secure. Founded in 1968, the Club has more than 1100 Members, spanning container owners and operators, ports and terminals, and logistics companies, working across maritime, road, rail, and air. TT Club is renowned for its high-quality service, in-depth industry knowledge and enduring Member loyalty. It retains more than 93% of its Members with a third of its entire membership having chosen to insure with the Club for 20 years or more.

www.ttclub.com

About BSI:

BSI is the business improvement company that enables organizations to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. For over a century BSI has championed what good looks like and driven best practice in organizations around the world. Working with over 84,000 clients across 193 countries, it is a truly international business with skills and experience across a number of sectors including automotive, aerospace, built environment, food, and healthcare. Through its expertise in Standards Development and Knowledge Solutions, Assurance and Professional Services, BSI improves business performance to help clients grow sustainably, manage risk and ultimately be more resilient.

To learn more, please visit: www.bsigroup.com

BSI SCREEN Intelligence:

Supply Chain Risk Exposure Evaluation Network (SCREEN), is BSI’s web-based, comprehensive global supply chain intelligence system. SCREEN is the most complete, publicly available Supply Chain Security, Corporate Social Responsibility, Food Safety/Fraud, and Business Continuity intelligence and analysis resource used to measure country-level risk factors through BSI’s 25 proprietary country-level supply chain risk ratings. SCREEN’s unique, proprietary global supply chain risk data and analysis helps organisations identify and understand where their supply chain risks exist. SCREEN generates trade interruption updates, BSI-authored special reports on major disruption incidents and trends as well as insights and analyses on supply chain topics, countermeasure programs, and risk mitigation best practices to help protect supply chains worldwide. SCREEN’s intelligence provides organisations with full transparency of country risks and helps them to make intelligent risk-based decisions that drive resilience.