As should be expected when regulations are tightened, attention is turning to solution providers to deliver accurate measurement of gross mass at various points through the container supply chain. TT Club would welcome hearing from potential providers so as to keep its membership informed.

Returning to a subject that has been covered not infrequently in this newsletter* as the industry approaches the twelve month mark before mandated verification of gross mass of containers enters into force on 1 July 2016, we provide commentary on emerging good practice.

Motivated by claims experience and changes in Chinese law and practice, TT Club has added to its range of model conditions an International Freight Forwarding Agency Agreement, produced in both Chinese and English. This is freely available to TT Club Members.

Weather seems to be a common theme around the globe at present. In tropical regions, the 'official' storm seasons have either just started (Eastern Pacific) or will do shortly (North Atlantic), although early activity was seen with the first named Atlantic storm, Ana, in early May. This comes on the back of series of powerful thunderstorms across the US and recent memory of significant winter storms across Europe. Simple advice: always be prepared!

Customs claims brought against freight forwarders have always been part of the tapestry of issues handled and covered by the TT Club. However, by way of alert, there has been a noticeable increase in claims involving the evasion of Anti-Dumping Duty ('ADD'). Most seem to result from investigations made by the European Anti-Fraud Office (known as 'OLAF', from its French name Office de Lutte Anti-Fraude).

The Union Customs Code (UCC) was adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 9 October 2013 as Regulation (EU) No 952/2013. Its provisions will start coming into effect on 1 May 2016. There will be a phased implementation period lasting until 31 December 2020, to allow the necessary time to develop the complex IT infrastructure to support EU wide simplifications.

Following from the early 'noughties' developments relating to security and the WCO SAFE Framework, the European Union responded with the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certification process. This is now moving 'centre stage'; are you prepared or engaged?

Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. A common fallacy is that 'working at height' is confined to activities several meters from the ground. However, 'working at height' is defined as work completed at any height above ground level where a hazard might present itself.

The 73rd meeting of the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association's (ICHCA) ISP Technical Panel was held recently, kindly hosted by Puertos de Las Palmas. Whilst a number of key risk areas were considered in detail by the panel, bodily injury and pedestrian safety was confirmed to be a key risk in ports.

Over the past year much has been written about changes to Maritime legislation to improve safety and to minimise the risk of containers being damaged or lost at sea. There is also work on amendments to international standards concerning containers. What's the impact?

Cargo fraud and theft impacts everyone in the international supply chain. A buyer of cargo needs the same assurances as the provider of logistics services, who relies on others for contract fulfilment. These risks consistently are amongst the top five incidents seen by the TT Club that collectively account for about 2/3 of claims through the supply chain.