The latest coronavirus outbreak in 2019 has had a wide and profound impact on citizens of a growing number of countries across the globe. The effects of the outbreak has witnessed disruption to many normal business operations in many countries. Even short periods of interruption to the manufacturing industry will inevitably give rise to various challenges through the international supply chain.
As of Wednesday 18 March all our UK and Mainland European offices, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and US-based offices will be working remotely. We will still be providing the same high levels of service our members have come to expect from the TT Club.
Thomas Miller triggered its Crisis Management Team (CMT) in response the Coronavirus outbreak in China on 23 January. Since then the virus has spread to all continents and the situation monitored and managed through daily calls of the CMT. The health and security of our employees and clients is of vital importance to Thomas Miller. We are doing everything we can to ensure we minimise the potential impact on our employees and business operations worldwide, in accordance with Government advice and guidance.
This briefing considers the potential impact on ocean freight and supply chain management activities of freight forwarders and logistics operators should steps to curtail the spread of coronavirus continue to disrupt the movement of goods. While key concerns will distil to delays and potentially cargo deterioration, the following provides some guidance on the potential risks to freight operators and how to mitigate them.
On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. A novel coronavirus was identified as the causative virus on 7 January 2020.
The TT Club in conjunction with the UK P&I Club and UK Defence Club has launched a new online services platform to enhance online services and data access for Members and their brokers.
TT Club and BSI have issued the second edition of their report on global cargo theft, the first to cover a full year. Highlighted findings include: theft from road vehicles once more accounts for the highest proportion at 84%; Slash and Grab the largest type of cargo theft at 26% globally but with significant regional variations; the combination of food, beverage, alcohol and tobacco making up the most common commodity group at 34% and South America topping the regional analysis of median value for each theft at $77,000.
