Bulk Distributor Jul/Aug 16

BULKDISTRIBUTOR www.bulk-distributor.com July/August 2016 Est. 1990 Your single information source for bulk and semi-bulk logistics Tank Containers • Flexitanks • IBCs • Drums • FIBCs • Bulk Liners • Road Tankers • Loading/Bagging • Bulk Logistics • Cleaning & Repair Depots • Components IN THIS ISSUE Shipper 2 Tank Containers 4 Container Leasing 7 Containers 8 Cleaning & Repair 9 Components 11 Flexitanks 12 Flexitanks & Bulk Liners 13 Industrial Packaging 15 FIBCs & Bagging 17 Logistics 18 Terminals & Storage 19 Managing Editor: Neil Madden [email protected] Tel: +33 (0)3 88 60 30 68 Associate Editor: Stuart Qualtrough [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1565 653283 Digital Content Editor: Anna Wright newsdesk@ bulk-distributor.com Advertising Director: Anne Williams [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 854 13130 Circulation: Berni Chetham [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1565 653283 © Ashley & Dumville Publishing Ltd Bulk Distributor is published by Ashley & Dumville Publishing Ltd Caledonian House, Tatton Street, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6AG, United Kingdom www.bulk-distributor.com To advertise or contribute please email [email protected] or [email protected] FEATURES IN THE NEXT ISSUE Tank Containers Components Asset Management Logistics industry braces for potential Brexit chaos E urope’s logistics industry faces a nervous few years ahead as the British government prepares to negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU). Continued access to the EU Single Market is a priority for logistics operators. Yet, it remains uncertain whether that view is shared by the Government of newly installed Prime Minister Theresa May. Leading figures in her Cabinet who backed Brexit have made it clear that they see controls over immigration as the biggest issue to be settled, regardless of the cost to the UK economy. James Hookham, deputy chief executive of the Freight Trade Association (FTA), a UK industry body, pointed out that nothing changes for freight transport operations until the Government gives formal notice to leave the EU and the exit negotiations start. “These will be incredibly complex and FTA’s job will be to lead for logistics and make sure the Government keeps the nation’s supply chains efficient and competitive in whatever deal is agreed,” he stated. One key area of concern will be the border controls on either side of the English Channel. Currently, vehicles and drivers looking to cross the Channel into Britain are checked and screened on French soil, and vice-versa. For the time being the French government has not put this arrangement in doubt, but ever since the British EU referendum vote local politicians in the Pas de Calais region of France have demanded an end to this system as soon as Britain formally exits the union. With thousands of migrants still camped near the ports of Calais and Dunkirk, such a move could create havoc with ferry services and the Channel Tunnel, which carry millions of tons of freight in both directions each year. Another worry would be huge disruption at Customs clearance. Will future Customs controls add to delays for cross-channel freight? “We must avoid queues of traffic waiting for Customs and enforcement checks to be carried out that are common at other border crossing points into the EU, otherwise Operation Stack will become a permanent feature of life in Kent,” Hookham added. “So clarity on what documentation for the goods, certificates for the trucks and licences for the driver are required are crucial details in making the new trade deal work in practice.” See p2 for Bulk Distributor’s analysis of Brexit options Paperless transfers at Maasvlakte C ontainer transfers between the different Maasvlakte terminals in the port of Rotterdam no longer require a physical Customs document, following new legislation. The participating terminals (APMT, ECT and RWG) have made agreements to this end with the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. This so-called ‘paperless transfer’ system is expected to reduce the administrative workload, particularly for shipping lines. Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte has five deepsea container terminals. Containers that arrive at one of these terminals regularly need to be shipped on via a different terminal. This concerns tens of thousands of containers every year, the port says, and the total will only increase in the future as a result of shifts in carrier alliances. European Customs legislation recently started offering the option of transferring containers from one terminal to the other – under specific conditions – without further paperwork. The Association of Rotterdam Shipbrokers and Agents (VRC), the terminals of ECT, APMT and RWG, the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have reached agreements intended to take advantage of this new legislation and facilitate paperless transfers at the Maasvlakte. All five terminals were able to implement the system from 1 July 2016. In addition, the concept may in time be rolled out to other container terminals in Rotterdam, and the parties also expect to be able to expand the procedure to the bundling of rail and inland shipping volumes. VRC chairman Kees Groeneveld said: “It’s an important step that allows us to keep costs low for companies active in Rotterdam – particularly in light of the strong competition faced in the Hamburg-Le Havre range.” The next step could be the construction of a Container Exchange Route, which would allow for the transport of containers between terminals via a closed system, said Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. “According to our planning, this project will