BIFAlink March 2022

BIFAlink March 2022

March 2022 The magazine of the British International Freight Association BIFA link Issue: 379 Mixed message: www.bifa.org

frontier experiences since 1 January 2022 – Pages 12-14

INSIDE

6: News Forwarder Pods are back for Multimodal 2022 8: Policy & Compliance Stresses in the container market 16: Profile Hemisphere Freight, winner of BIFA’s Extra Mile Award 2021 18: Profile Laura Hobby, winner of the 2021 BIFA Young Freight Forwarder of the Year Award

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Robert Keen’s Column

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Much to be done over border costs

BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266

Writing this issue’s comment coincided with a report by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee concluding that Britain’s exit from the European Union has so far made trade more expensive because of delays and red tape, and that new border arrangements have added costs to business. Whatever your opinion about the rights and wrongs of Brexit, BIFA Members that work at the sharp end of cross-border trade will not disagree with that sentiment, having witnessed increased costs, paperwork and border delays. The Public Accounts Committee cautioned that the government had considerable work to do to make cross-border trade easier for businesses and that there were concerns about computer systems being developed by Customs. Few BIFA Members

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(A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Robert Keen [email protected] Executive Director Robert Windsor, Policy & Compliance – Surface & Legal

will disagree with those sentiments either. In the same week, the government announced a 12-week consultation on the Single Trade Window inviting responses on a number of aspects of how the frontier works. Whilst BIFA, via its policy and regional structure, is consulting with Members to ascertain their views which can then be fed back to government, we are also encouraging all Members to consider replying directly on this subject. In this edition, we begin a repeat of a series of articles that we did some years ago, updated for 2022, concerning use of the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions (STC). On our website there is a downloadable publication called ‘Know your 2021 Standard Trading Conditions’, where each clause of the STC is explained in detail. The book was originally written for an earlier edition of the STC by retired forwarder Derek O’Brien and we are grateful to our solicitor, Kay Pysden, for editing the latest version. Part 1 of Know Your BIFA STC is on page 21 of this edition of BIFAlink , and I would like to ask you to encourage your staff to read it. The more of them that understand the BIFA STC, the better placed they are to deal with the occasional dispute. I will conclude this column with some thoughts on the BIFA Awards. They may have taken place six weeks ago, but I am still enthused by the event that the team managed to put on. We did not quite top the 500 attendee mark, but the feedback has been terrific. I would like to say a special thanks to the sponsors who give up their time to meet and select the category winners. Whilst I and the BIFA team see all entries, we are completely separated from the judging process, which is entirely neutral, and for that reason the BIFA Awards are probably the most well-respected awards in the sector. I would also like to thank all who supported our chosen charity, Transaid, at the event. Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport in rural Africa. It has been a tough time for all fundraisers during the pandemic, so the total raised of £3,600 was gratefully received. For another opportunity to help Transaid, cyclists should turn to page 17. There was a first this year as we asked our AV contractors to record the event; the video is available on the Awards section of bifa.org. It is easy to skip parts if you just want to see your company in the spotlight. Although not a first, a highlight of the Awards luncheon for me was presenting Gordon Day with a special recognition award. For those who do not know Gordon, he is the Honorary Secretary of the London Freight Club; if you look on page 6, you will see more about the club as well as the Glasgow Freight Club, which BIFA also supports. In light of the earlier mentioned ongoing consultation that the government is engaged upon, I will end this column by repeating what I have said several times over the past few years: Hopefully the government is listening.

[email protected] Executive Director Spencer Stevenson [email protected] Executive Director Carl Hobbis [email protected] Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics [email protected] Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud [email protected] Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond [email protected] Communications Manager Natalie Pitts [email protected] Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton [email protected]

Published by Park Lane Publishing [email protected] Contributors

Robert Keen, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Nezda Leigh 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.

Robert Keen Director General

March 2022

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News Desk

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‘Nine months’ to solve box reliability problems Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business

container cranes at its Port of Liverpool’s Terminal 1, complementing the six cranes already in place, and enabling greater efficiency and faster turnaround times for the loading and discharging of taller container vessels. They will deliver a 30% uplift in quayside capacity. DP World’s two UK ports handled a record volume of containers in 2021 after major investments in capability and capacity. London Gateway saw throughput of 1,804,871 teu, a 15% increase on the previous annual record set last year, whilst at DP World Southampton, throughput in the 12-month period was 1,871,081 teu. The UK government has announced that two new freeports in Scotland will have net-zero emissions targets that prospective bidders will have to make a pledge to reach by 2045. The bidding process opens in spring 2022 and closes in summer 2022, with the target date for new sites to be operational set for spring 2023. OVERLAND The 50,000th China-Europe intermodal train embarked on its journey towards the west at the end of January, according to Xinhua News Agency. The milestone has been achieved just over a decade after the start of intermodal freight services on the route in 2011, a year when only 17 such intermodal trains were recorded on the New Silk Road. IN THE WAREHOUSE Demand for UK logistics and industrial warehouse space – fuelled by the continuing growth in online retail – has continued to soar, with 2021 full year >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24

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