Spotlight on Customs & Freight Forwarding

TURNING THE SPOTLIGHT ON FREIGHT FORWARDERS AND CUSTOMS AGENTS AND BROKERS

Services provided by freight forwarders and customs agents have never been more essential in the wake of Brexit and the ongoing debate over the Northern Ireland protocol.

While most established businesses may already have a good agent, there are new companies entering the marketplace in need of a reliable service; others may want to avail of more competitive rates or other ancillary services. Here, we take a close look at the different roles of customs agents and freight forwarders and focus on some of our leading providers in this specialised and complex field.

ALLIED FLEET SERVICES OFFER CLIENTS TAILOR-MADE CUSTOMS SOLUTIONS

Allied Fleet Services was formed in 2017 to consult with transport businesses on identifying how to improve business efficiency, cost-saving opportunities, increasing profitability, and work on the best reporting systems for its clients.

With 37 years of experience between them, the company’s team has been able to build a network of trusted suppliers who they consult with regularly to provide clients with the best deals. The team has grown from just one employee to 19 today, with over 320 clients currently managed by the agency globally. This is used to their advantage by creating a bigger buying power. As a result, this improves profitability and increases opportunities for its clients. Due to its successes, the company has seen exponential growth in all aspects of the business, including a 3400% increase in turnover within just three years. This is attributed to the return of satisfied clients, and constant onboarding of new clients who have become aware of the efficient, professional and innovative nature of the business.

CUSTOMS SERVICES

In 2019, Allied Customs Services was established, with dedicated 24/7 Customs Brokers who work with clients worldwide. In house they have a unique, electronic system that offers a one stop solution for all their customs requirements. The company has also recently opened new premises in Dublin to facilitate customs changes introduced on 1 January 2022 and to prepare for further changes coming this summer. “We are experts in the field of transits, so much so that we have set up a team dedicated specifically to deal with T1 and T2 documents,” commented Managing Director Stephen McAneney. “This is headed up by our company Business Development Manager Kieran McCann, who holds extensive knowledge around Customs which is second to none. Currently we are dealing with customers who use our transit service across Europe, including Czech Republic, Sweden, Latvia, Belgium, Holland, France and Croatia to name a few.” Whether you are importing goods to the UK, or exporting worldwide, there is a Customs Clearance solution for you: • Import Declarations • Export Declarations • Safety & Security Declarations • Traces and IPAFFS entry • Transit documents • ENS Declarations for carriers • Simplified frontier and supplementary declarations for importing goods to the UK Additionally, the company’s full import and export Customs Clearance Service removes the need for clients to fill out supplementary documentation, allowing a one-off payment to be made for Customs Clearance.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Going above and beyond being just a service provider, Allied Fleet Services keeps constant, open lines of communication with clients, advising them of all industry news and updates. With the arena of Customs being very much a live, fluid process with rules and regulations constantly changing, this communication is key in delivering a top tier service for clients. Throughout their years of experience individually and as a company, agents hold close contacts in government bodies in both Ireland and the UK as well as industry experts, allowing them to stay ahead of the game by advising customers of any changes that are forthcoming and what processes will be required to clear their freight. Using its Customs Clearance Services, you can: • Minimise disruption to your supply chain • Keep your goods moving throughout borders, providing you with reference numbers to track progress • Offer one source to view all your customs declarations and documents The company’s secure system allows data to be uploaded quickly and easily, with sensitive information encrypted for your business’ protection. Agents are available 24/7 to all clients, allowing for constant monitoring of ongoing shipments, or offering advice. This also allows facilitation of communication with ports across the world in all time zones.

KEEPING UP TO DATE

As industry experts, Allied Fleet Services keeps its clients and followers up to date on its LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. With an innovative, growth mindset, the company is constantly striving to improve and streamline services, currently investing in unique, bespoke software packages to allow customers a full interactive service. If you have any queries, get in touch for a no obligation discussion on +4428 3066 0988 or customs@allied-fs.co.uk

allied-fs.co.uk

PARTNERSHIP APPROACH AT AB CARGO

Headquartered in Belfast, AB Cargo provides worldwide customs clearance, warehousing, and customised services in Air, Sea & Road Logistics. It has ambitious plans for the year ahead and beyond with the opening of its first customs warehouse with Authorised Consignee/Consignor status.

The commitment and enthusiasm from the remarkable team at AB Cargo has enabled the company to grow from strength to strength from when first established in 2016. AB Cargo’s philosophy is to always put customer satisfaction first and believe good customer service is essential when looking for new customers and retaining loyal customers. It believes excellent customer service starts the moment it receives that first request. Managing Director Tony Budde comments: “A key feature of AB cargo is the onboarding of clients where we attempt to remove some of the complexities and issues around the new regulations prior to starting work - enabling our clients to release the resources used on customs and re focus on their own core business.” There’s no doubt, the past few years have been challenging for both air and sea cargo leaving a lot of businesses feeling more pressure than normal. From additional customs checks at borders to paperwork that would have never been required, businesses are now having to navigate the complexities of customs clearance. “AB Cargo understands this and with extensive experience in all aspects of customs clearance, our team will go over and beyond ensuring the customer receives the highest level of service.”

BREXIT CHANGES

AB Cargo had invested in the changes for Brexit and assisted HMRC and software companies for those changes, using its market experience to help with the implementation of the new CDS system. Although TSS (the government free temporary service) was also launched to assist with clearance services for those who were not prepared, AB Cargo’s CDS customs clearance services has been a great assistance to the local marketplace.

With ongoing innovation into the future, AB Cargo is set to launch several initiatives including an online clearance platform allowing customers to have full control of their own customs clearance - with the knowledge and expertise of AB Cargo employees in the background. “This year we will raise the bar even higher and are committed to offering a seamless flow for our customers’ goods,” adds Tony. “We are currently in the process of making it possible for them to upload data onto a live portal. This platform allows customers to store data and ensure the most up-to-date information is supplied. “Customers will also have live tracking information so they won’t have to wait for an email response as the information can be accessed in any other time zone at any moment of the day.”

INDEPENDENT COMPANY

As an independent freight forwarding company, AB Cargo is not bound to a single shipping line or NVOCC. It regularly moves standard, reefer and flat racks to ensure your goods arrive safely, smoothly and as quickly as possible. As a fully licensed IATA airfreight forwarding company, it can also transport any type of product by air. “We fly goods between 3rd countries in the world for our UK & Ireland clients,” says Tony. “Through our global partners we can arrange all aspects of international cross trade traffic allowing direct trade from source to end user.” In addition, the team at AB Cargo has wide-ranging knowledge and experience and are fully qualified to organise the transportation of dangerous goods by air. It also provides a professional Security screening, packing service, covering picking and repacking, labelling, palletisation, and crate making for fragile high value goods. “We work closely with our clients to customise the services we provide based on their specific needs and circumstances,” says Tony; “We’re proud to be a leading logistics solutions provider in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and willing to go the extra mile whenever and wherever we’re needed.”

www.abcargo.co.uk

YOUR TAILORED LOGISTICS SOLUTION

Great service begins and ends with experienced and friendly professionals, which is why we put so much consideration into selecting the best people to join our team. We aim to not only meet your needs, but also exceed your expectations of what a dependable Global Logistics Provider can be.

Forsyth House, 2 Cromac Place, Belfast BT2 8LA

T: +44 (0) 3300 417227 www.abcargo.co.uk

AIR FREIGHT SERVICES

SEA FREIGHT SERVICES

ROAD FREIGHT SERVICES

CLARKSONS PORT SERVICES CREATES NEW CUSTOMS HUB IN INVESTMENT DRIVE TO MEET DEMAND

Clarksons Port Services (CPS) has created a new customs hub at its Belfast headquarters in an investment drive to meet clients’ needs as the landscape of import and export becomes challenging as a result of Brexit.

For businesses moving goods in or out of GB, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland, CPS will guide you step by step through the process advising at each point of any changes due to Brexit and the implementation of the NI Protocol. It can look after sea freight and Ro Ro clearances for the majority of ports in GB and NI and covers 170 ports worldwide. Part of Clarksons, the world’s leading provider of integrated shipping services, CPS runs a tight 24/7 operation with more than 30 years’ experience in helping businesses with sea, air and road freight and is actively recruiting to help support its rapid growth. It currently has 14 offices around the UK with 115 staff but is looking to bolster its Belfast office during its current recruitment drive. The requirements for importing and exporting goods can appear overwhelming so the service CPS offers to guide customers through it all, allows them to focus on areas of their business where it’s most needed. Chris Ewings, Customs Clearance Manager at Clarksons Port Services said: “Many businesses come to us as they don’t quite know how the new customs arrangements affects their business, the responsibility often falls to the finance teams, which may not be familiar with the logistical operation, so our expertise puts us in the best position to support businesses through the processes which apply to them.”

DIRECT ACCESS

CPS has direct access to the Government’s Customs Declaration Service (CDS), the new single customs platform which will replace the Customs handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) due to close on 31 March 2023 and HMRC is gradually reducing CHIEF services to ensure only the Customs Declaration Service is being used. Currently traders are able to use the Trader Support Service (TSS) if you move goods into Northern Ireland, but CPS can handle those movements without the need for TSS registration and subsequent supplementary declarations making it a much more streamlined process. “Every member of the CPS team offers in-depth knowledge and is continually updated on any changes of worldwide rules and regulations meaning our customers don’t have to. You will have a dedicated customs agent looking after you and our goal is to take away the stress of meeting requirements and ensure your shipment is completed according to current law,” continued Chris. Whether you are a large multinational company, a small business or an individual, a customs declaration is required for all goods imported into the UK customs territory across international borders and this declaration will list the details of all the goods being imported in the shipment. The UK Government dropped border controls at the beginning of the year, when Brexit, in combination with the chaos caused by the pandemic, threatened to shut down UK-continental Europe supply chains, but businesses now need to be ready for the end of this transition period. Goods moving into and out of the UK are now subject to new customs controls due to Brexit and CPS is integrated with the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) and can ensure all the entry requirements for GVMS are complete and provide the required GMR number. “The GVMS implementation for the rest of GB on 1 January, has been the most recent change to the way we move our goods into and out of GB, this process of pre lodgement of customs documents was designed to speed

up the customs process and mitigate delays but judging by the traffic jams at some of the French Ports either the message didn’t get through or companies were under prepared. At CPS we undertook a series of information meetings with clients and gave regular updates on the implementation of GVMS so our partners were well up to speed and have had all documents in order so far,” said Chris.

SAFETY & SECURITY

CPS’s services also include Safety and Security Declarations (SSD) which are required by border authorities to analyse the potential risk caused to their territory by goods crossing their border. It also offers to help with Entry Summary Declarations which must be submitted in advance for goods imported into the customs territory of the EU from countries outside the EU. If you are moving goods to common or EU transit countries, there are different declarations, and you plan your route using common or Union transit. If you are moving multiple items together you may be able to move these together as a single transit movement under one declaration. CPS can issue transit documents from Belfast if this is required. “CPS offers a truly stress-free service whatever a business’s requirements are. We’re here to help guide our customers through the regulations and in some cases translate the regulations into practical terms to show how they will affect their business, we can offer advice as to how best to navigate their supply chain and remain compliant with regulations,” concluded Chris. For more information on customs clearance and for a free consultation, visit the CPS website customsclearance.clarksonsportservices.com, call +44 (0) 2890 260 846 or email enquiries.customs@clarksons.com

Specialists in worldwide logistics for sea, air and road freight

• Experts in customs clearance for over 30 years • First-class logistical support in the UK, Europe and worldwide • 14 offices around the UK with 115 staff • 170 ports covered worldwide 24/7 • Import/export clearances for GB, NI, ROI • GB NI declarations without using TSS

For further information on what we offer, visit customsclearance.clarksonsportservices.com or email enquiries.customs@clarksons.com

SOMETIMES CUSTOMS CAN MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE GOING BACKWARDS

It’s fair to say it’s been an eventful couple of years for the industry when it comes to changes in the supply chain. The introduction of GB and EU customs clearance requirements that haven’t been seen for over 30 years has turned the industry upside down. Transport businesses large and small now have new challenges to make sure they can keep their customer’s goods moving.

This can be a pain, but get it right and it is a great opportunity to support your existing customers and secure new business. CustomsLink can work with you to provide the solution… Built on the back of the success of its sister company Freightlink, the UK’s largest online freight ferry ticket agency, CustomsLink takes away the complexities of the customs process for short sea, time sensitive ferry and tunnel shipments with managed and self-service digital solutions. “As an experienced international supply chain company, we identified that there was a potential threat to our existing customer base if they couldn’t access customs services,” says the company. “Existing customs broker services are based around the deep-sea model. This doesn’t work for the high frequency, ‘Just in Time’ model of short sea shipping. CustomsLink has created a new solution from the ground up, utilising expert knowledge from the road transport and ferry industries and combining it with customs expertise. This allows us to deliver a speedy yet compliant service. “It has been nearly two years since we started helping our customers with their customs declaration needs. With our dedicated team, we’ve experienced the many changes that have taken place since Brexit. We are now in a place where we are providing sole traders with occasional jobs and large, global brands moving hundreds of shipments a day - all with industry leading solutions for import and export declarations and border controls across the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and the EU. We have all the relevant UK port badges for customs clearance and hold Transit Authorised Consignor and CFSP statuses. “We are also getting ready for the new GB safety and security declaration requirements (S&S GB) coming on the 1st July this year. CustomsLink can offer this service through an online service or API for high volume customers. We highly recommend transport businesses start preparing for this now so that they can continue to bring their goods into the UK.”

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE SOLUTIONS

Customs clearance requirements are constantly evolving. Since 2020, CustomsLink has built and adapted its technology to cater for the many changes that have occurred. At CustomsLink, those needs are addressed before they hit the supply chain industry, so that your goods don’t get held up at port or border control posts. CustomsLink makes these new processes as simple as possible to organise and always strive to be the only customs broker you need to deal with. No duplication, one customs broker, save time and money, best in business. CustomsLink’s main services include • GB-EU import and export declarations – you can save money and create your declarations yourself by using its industry-leading digital platform with 24/7/365 access or take advantage of its talented team with a fully managed service.

Simply send the team your commercial documents and they take care of the rest. • Haulier Border Toolkit -

CustomsLink’s flagship product designed specifically for hauliers whose customers may have already generated their import/ export customs paperwork.

Often, there are additional border requirements that fall under the haulier’s responsibility such as

Safety and Security Declarations and Port Passes. The Haulier

Border Toolkit covers all of these requirements including ENS, EXS and S&S GB, as well as GMR, PBN,

Logistics Envelope, Portbase and RX Seaport port passes. • Master Unique Customs

Reference (MUCR) request service - CustomsLink can consolidate your multiple consignment customs references into one reference for you. You will need this to export groupage through an Inventory Linked port.

DON’T PANIC! WE CAN HELP

If at this point, customs clearance keeps you up at night and you’re worried you’re not ready, don’t panic. CustomsLink is here to help. “The learning curve has been huge for everyone and we’re still on that curve, but don’t fret, we know our stuff. We are proud of our fast and friendly service. A 4.8 out of 5-star rating score and lots of happy customer feedback demonstrates that we are solving customs headaches every single day.” For more information, visit the website customs-link. com and register today, or if you have a specific requirement give CustomsLink’s knowledgeable team a call on +44 (01772) 368 002.

WOODSIDE GLOBAL CONTINUES TO EXPAND SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMS CLEARANCE SERVICES

In 2021 Woodside Global had a successful year post-Brexit, ensuring key UK and Ireland supply chains ran uninterrupted through Brexit challenges, a global shipping crisis and a shortage in skilled drivers. They now look forward to building on last year’s successes.

Woodside Global, an AEO accredited customs brokerage firm, has been successfully providing customs services since 1975. Part of Woodside Logistics Group, it is long-established in the industry and is formerly known as All-Route Shipping. A key component of 2021’s success was the development of customer IT integrations. This made the traditionally admin-heavy customs process much smoother, particularly in cases of large numbers of commodity codes, products of animal origin and controlled goods. Woodside Global works seamlessly with its sister transport divisions: Woodside Haulage, Woodside Tankfreight, Woodside Motorfreight and Woodside Distribution, providing a fully integrated transport and customs solution. Many customers are now reaping the benefits of a totally integrated solution and there is a continuing upward trend of integrating more transport customers to Woodside Global’s customs platform. The group look forward to seeing this increase in 2022. To facilitate further improvements in this area, Woodside Global has expanded its team of developers, resulting in the launch of a new customer portal in Q2 2022 to work alongside existing integrations with blue-chip companies and SAP systems.

WEBINARS & CONSULTANCY

Each change to legislation and process from HMRC and Irish Revenue brings new requirements for Woodside Global’s customers. Woodside Global will continue to work hard to meet these requirements and is always adding to its already extensive portfolio of services. These services cover all GB/NI and GB/ ROI requirements as well as further afield through their rest-of-world freight forwarding and customs team. Woodside Global’s experienced customs agents and internal compliance team work closely with HMRC and Irish Revenue to stay up to date with the ever-changing GB/NI and GB/ROI landscape. This, along with continual professional development, ensures that staff are highly trained to provide the full quota of customs services. In addition, they offer a consultancy service via tailored webinars, written communication and one-to-one calls to make their customers aware of upcoming changes. Customer service is top priority for Woodside Global and they are expanding further to ensure its customers’ supply chains run smoothly and to give peace of mind. Their skilled team of customer service representatives ensures that essential communication and smooth transfer of key customs documents occurs in a timely manner. community throughout Northern Ireland. Initiatives undertaken in 2022 include welcoming higher-level apprentices to the business, along with university placement students, and on a charitable level, Woodside Logistics Group has sponsored Air Ambulance Northern Ireland since 2017 and has plans to increase its charitable work in 2022. If you would like help or assistance with any aspect of your customs process, please contact one of the company’s customs experts on 028 933 43040 or alternatively email: customs@woodsides.com

AMBITIOUS GROWTH PLANS

As part of Woodside Logistics Group’s ambitious capital investment plans, and building on the company’s success, it has moved into new headquarters that provide a bright, modern and collaborative workspace for its 150 office staff. This is an excellent investment in the team and ensures staff have the facilities to provide customers with the highquality service they have come to expect. Furthermore, they are also ensuring that they are committed to giving back to the local

www.woodsides.com

EIGHT WAYS TO AVOID CONTAINER SCAMS

Rising costs have led to an upsurge in both the sophistication and number of shipping container scams. Here Andrew Jones, Managing Director at S Jones Containers, outlines a number of ways to try and avoid being scammed.

We have recently seen an increase in unscrupulous scam artists offering containers at reduced prices that simply never arrive. These days scam artists are clever enough not to offer prices that are ‘too good to be true’ with prices that are quite close to the normal market, which makes scams harder to spot. Here are eight ways to spot and avoid a scam container.

ARE THEY WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE?

It’s becoming increasingly common for scammers to use an existing company’s name, or very similar sounding one, stealing logos and identities to make themselves seem official. Some will even go so far as to provide a spoof quote, adding their own contact details which invariably stop working once payment has been made. The way they do this is to copy a quote they have had from a genuine supplier and then corrupt the contact details to their own. Check a number of key sources to ensure the contact details you are offered are genuine. When trying to impersonate an existing business scam artists will use what may, at first glance, seem to be the correct email domain names e.g. @s.jonescontainers.co.uk, or @sjonescontainer.co.uk instead of the legitimate @sjonescontainers.co.uk. Cross check phone numbers on genuine company web sites (again, check the domain name is correct). For organisations that you were not previously aware of, search Companies House and review their filing history. If they are a genuine company they will have filed accounts and other key documents.

ARE THEY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?

Shipping containers by their nature are big, bulky and worth some consideration when it comes to transport. If the seller is only interested in securing your card details, it’s a sure-fire sign of a scam. However, we are now finding that some scammers have done their homework. They will have made enquiries to genuine companies in order to learn what questions to ask and what areas to cover, like delivery issues, or container uses. Do not rely on what feels like a real conversation alone to be sure you are dealing with a real company.

ALWAYS CONTACT THE COMPANY DIRECTLY

Similarly to bank scams, containers scammers will often try to isolate their victims taking them away from official communication channels. Going straight to the company’s official website for telephone numbers, contact forms and email addresses, rather than clicking links in email chains is the best way of counteracting this. Fortunately, the UK container industry is relatively small and close knit, so if you do come across an organisation that you’re not quite sure of, speaking directly to an established supplier will soon reveal whether a company is fake or not. Also, we are quite a friendly group and no company will be upset if you just want to phone and check. It is better to be safe than sorry.

IS THE PRICE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Container prices are determined by global manufacturing trends and complex logistic requirements. Whilst prices in the market place are always changing, if it seems too good to be true and is way below other quotations that’s often because it is. What can seem like an absolute steal of a deal, or even just a bit cheaper than quotes obtained directly, could turn out to be a complete waste of thousands of pounds when the container you have paid for never arrives.

ARE THEY USING A THIRDPARTY SALES SITE?

Container scammers will often make use of websites such as Gumtree, Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace to advertise fictional containers. A detailed look at seller profiles will often identify red flags, such as suspect reviews and limited background details. Do they have an official company website and if so are the contact details on that site the same as the selling page? You must contact the company selling the containers directly to ensure you are not looking at a hoax product listing.

CHECK THEIR GENERAL ONLINE PRESENCE

Bear in mind that scams can be sophisticated, so just because the company has a good-looking website might not mean they are legitimate. Do they have a wider and convincing presence on business social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter? Do they have reviews? No reviews, or all perfect 5-star reviews within a couple of days can be a warning sign.

REPORT A SCAM

Attempted scams can be flagged via sites like Action Fraud. Whilst not an official crime report, it does mean the police are more aware of fraudulent activity. You should also report crimes in order to obtain a crime number and allow the police to catch the perpetrators.

PROFESSIONAL TRANSPARENCY

To help further combat scams we’ve created a new webpage Doing Business With S Jones Containers, which includes an up-to-date list of all of our account managers. Ordering directly through an established company’s website or telephone line is without doubt the best way to avoid a scam.

HELP AT HAND

Scammers are a plague on many industries and unfortunately the container industry is no different. While scam artists will never be eradicated completely, at S Jones Containers we want to do all that we can to help businesses, organisations and the general public to avoid being scammed. S Jones Containers is one of the oldest and most respected shipping container companies in the UK. The family run business has been in continuous operation for more than 100 years and prides itself on both its professionalism and exacting standards.

Doyle Shipping Group (Belfast) Ltd 101 Airport Road West Belfast BT3 9ED Phone +44 (0) 28 90 755881 Email shipping@dsg.uk