... as FTW's Alan Peat investigates
the case of the missing NVOCC
No replies to telephones, no missing boxes,
no means of recovering the
R6 000 freight payment, and two rubber cheques.
IT WOULD appear that Global Shipping, a small NVOCC in Johannesburg, has gone out of business - and left some rather disgruntled former clients in its wake.
First tip-off came from an unnamed reader, whose son had used Global to airfreight 11 boxes of valuable personal possessions from Johannesburg to his home in London in May.
That cost him R6 000 up-front.
But the goods haven't arrived and repeated telephone calls to Global's number have been unsuccessful.
Presuming that he might have got things wrong, he contacted his father in SA, and asked him to enquire into the matter. But these local efforts were also in vain. There was no answer to landline calls, only recorded messages on the one cell-phone number that was known, and no reply to e-mails.
In despair, the father contacted FTW and he was first given the number of Edward Little, executive director of SAAFF (SA Association of Freight Forwarders), to see if he could help.
First, Little checked
the SAAFF membership list but couldn't find Global amongst the names. However, Little promised our reader that he would physically check on the NVOCC's premises at Crown Mines to see what he could find out. But with no success.
The issue was, therefore, passed back to FTW.
But we were equally unsuccessful. The landline number was now answered by a recorded Telkom voice saying: "This number is presently not in service."
Further enquiries were equally unsuccessful - until FTW mentioned the missing NVOCC to a shipping line executive. As a favour, he checked his own list of service providers, to find that - to his dismay - Global was one of the companies listed. Adding to his problem was the fact that his records showed that the company had issued two cheques to the line - but both of these had bounced.
So - no signs of Global Shipping, no replies to telephones, no missing boxes of valuable goods to be found, no means of recovering the R6 000 freight payment, and two rubber cheques.
That's to date. But FTW has placed the issue before the marine insurance lawyer of a major insurance company - and help has been kindly offered. However, the issue can't be taken any further until the paperwork for the deal - if any exists - is sent to SA.
This, with luck, might reveal further information which might, in turn, help FTW to take matters further. If nothing else, it would be some satisfaction to find the reader's boxes which might currently be in some airline's warehouse awaiting further shipping instructions.
If any readers have any information on the matter please do not hesitate to contact the editor of FTW on 011 327 4062.
