2 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Shipper September / October 2018
2 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Shipper September / October 2018
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Hapag-Lloyd ’ s Quick Quotes enables shippers to speed up their quotation process for container shipments
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The summer months saw interesting developments in the digitalisation of container freight services . German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd launched an online quotation tool ‘ Quick Quotes ’, claimed to offer simpler and faster container quotes for all customers within seconds . Quick Quotes enables shippers around the world to speed up their quotation process for container shipments , the carrier says . It generates online quotations for container shipments in seconds and provides clients transparency on the detailed pricing . To get an online quotation for a shipment , all one has to do is log in via the Hapag-Lloyd website , choose the start location and end location as well as a commodity and container type . Customers will receive a binding quotation within seconds , and can then make their bookings right away via the Hapag-Lloyd online business platform . “ Becoming easier to do business with and digitising our services are very important for us . Quick Quotes enables our customers globally to get a fast quotation at any time , which will contribute to a better and more efficient customer experience ,” said Rolf Habben Jansen , CEO of Hapag-Lloyd . Quick Quotes is integrated into Hapag-Lloyd ’ s growing online business platform . That way , customers can quickly and conveniently complete large parts of container shipping processes by themselves . Besides getting a quote and placing an immediate booking for a shipment , additional services are available such as checking for shipping schedules , managing documents or tracking of shipments . In September , Quick Quotes and Mobile Booking also became accessible via the Hapag-Lloyd app for iOS and Android . Hapag-Lloyd also adopted a container triangulation service offered by Avantida , an online platform owned by transport portal INTTRA . Alongside French carrier CMA CGM , Hapag Lloyd is using Avantida to offer reUse container management services in Mexico . reUse works by offering an alternative to returning a discharged import container to the port or assigned depot . Instead , transport companies can request the liner shipping company to use that same container and bring it straight to their export customer to be loaded . This way , they avoid waiting times at depots and terminals and eliminate unnecessary mileage , which provides the additional benefit of reducing CO2 emissions in addition to overall costs . “ Re-use is a completely new concept for the container transport sector in Mexico . Using an import container to go straight to your export customer without having to go back to the terminal is a
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refreshing advancement for planners and dispatchers . Being able to manage this on Avantida ’ s platform makes this new way of planning even easier to adopt ,” said Kapil Garg , head of inland operations Latin America at CMA CGM . “ This is a great opportunity for transporters ! We are delighted to offer empty container re-use in Mexico . The Avantida platform will bring a new dimension to their planning strategies , optimising time on the road and reducing transport costs . For us , we expect a similar structure and efficiency it already provides in Europe ,” said Niklas Ohling , senior director of container steering at Hapag-Lloyd . The announcement marks Avantida ’ s first steps into the North America market . “ After successfully rolling out our platform across Europe , we are absolutely thrilled to be able to help container transport companies in Mexico become more effective ,” said Luc De Clerck , Avantida ’ s CEO . “ The Avantida platform will provide fantastic new opportunities to the Mexican transport community to save both money and time every single day .” Over the past year Avantida has both expanded in existing markets and entered new ones , including Germany , France , Poland ,
Instead of returning a discharged import container to port Avantida allows transport companies to request the same container to be brought straight to an export customer for loading
Ahead of the International Maritime Organization ’ s ( IMO ) latest meeting of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers ( CCC ) in London , freight insurance specialist TT Club issued a call for more urgent action on issues pertaining to the safety of container transport . For some time now the insurer has been drawing both industry and regulators ’ attention to the need for greater ‘ cargo integrity ’, by which is meant the safe , secure and environmentally sound packing , handling and transport of all goods in containers and other transport units , in compliance with conventions , such as Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ), and codes like IMDG and Packing of Cargo Transport Units ( CTU ). TT Club ’ s risk management director Peregrine Storrs-Fox said that achieving such cargo integrity across the complex web of the international freight supply chain is a big ask . “ We are in little doubt that a comprehensive result will take time to achieve ,” he said . “ However , many industry bodies are making significant strides , particularly in the areas of dangerous goods identification , declaration and handling as well as container weighing and packing . We are calling on the regulators , in this case the IMO , to assist in taking action to identify appropriate legislative and behavioural change that will improve safety and certainty of outcome .” A primary concern is the problem of misdeclared dangerous goods , with some sources suggesting that container fires occur on a weekly basis and that a major container cargo fire engulfs a ship at sea on average once every 60 days . Such incidents are costing seafarer lives , result in loss and damage to goods and ships running into hundreds of millions of dollars , as well as impacting the
Lithuania and now Mexico . The platform is now available in 12 countries , with almost 4,000 registered companies and an average of 1,600 transactions a day .
Wan Hai ’ s eBL
Meanwhile , Taiwan-based carrier Wan Hai Lines has partnered with trade finance outfit Bolero International to execute its first electronic bill of lading ( eBL ) for a large shipment of polyester filament from Taiwan to China . Executed using the Bolero ePresentation solution on behalf of Wan Hai ’ s customer , a Singapore-based subsidiary of a global chemical and fibre producer , the eBL speeded up release of the cargo , removed requirements for a letter of indemnity and enabled all parties to transact with greater confidence . The transaction involved two banks and transmission of documentation between Taiwan , Singapore and Hong Kong , facilitating rapid surrender of the cargo for processing in China while avoiding the delays caused by traditional paper bills of lading on shorter routes . The speed and security of Bolero ’ s solution meant that the time to complete the transaction was significantly reduced from days to hours . “ Executing this multi-national transaction was an important milestone for us ,” said Randy Chen , Wan Hai ’ s vice-chairman . “ It not only decreased the end to end shipment time but also increased the security and confidence level for our customer and their buyer . Bolero is enabling us to achieve our ambition of streamlining multinational workflows , reducing costs for our customers and providing much-enhanced security . This partnership gives us stronger operational capabilities and reinforces our strategy of continuous growth .” “ We are delighted to be partnering with Wan Hai Lines ,” said Ian Kerr , CEO of Bolero International . “ Despite the potential complications of this transaction involving Singapore , Hong Kong , Taiwan and China and two banks , the eBL still arrived in time to enable rapid release of the cargo . The Bolero solution out-performs traditional paper processes even for first-time users . For short shipments it is all too easy for delays in the documentation to cause unnecessary costs as goods cannot be released as quickly as possible .
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environment , and are significantly disrupting supply chains serving markets throughout the world . TT Club has analysed data on such losses and contributed the aggregated experiences of those it insures , carriers , forwarders , ports , terminals and cargo owners , to help inform the cargo handling trade association ICHCA which benefits from consultative status at IMO , in its submissions to the CCC sitting . Both general and specific issues were addressed in these submissions , which were intended to urge committee members to propose positive action . Storrs-Fox emphasised just two of the more urgent initiatives required : “ Reports by IMO member states of container inspections are woefully few ; just seven countries submitting reports this year . Furthermore , TT Club and ICHCA have submitted details of the top 10 commodities that may lead or have led to incidents – not all of which are classified as dangerous goods ,” he continued . “ Understanding in detail the parameters in force for the various stakeholders involved with such cargoes should inform how advances in safety can be achieved .” In addition , there is a need for increased regulatory co-ordination and harmonisation . The TT Club / ICHCA submission recognises the need for greater collaboration by all stakeholders in industry and government to engender consistency in the guidelines that all may follow and promote greater safety in transporting cargoes around the world . “ As a step towards the goal of true Cargo Integrity , we are calling on the IMO to initiate a correspondence group to advise on the best means of achieving such unified guidelines ,” concluded Storrs-Fox .