Inaccurate documentation hampers insurers

THE HUMAN element with accompanying inefficiency is a major problem facing insurers of cargo, says Dave Keeling, chairman of the Association of Marine Underwriters in South Africa (AMUSA). It applies at all levels of transportation, he says, where the documentary trail is not being completed as it should be, and too many people along the supply chain are either too busy or 'couldn't be bothered' to ensure everything is in place. "Down the line we find that clearing agents often don't endorse documents and receipts in the proper manner. Seals are tampered with or changed, but these incidents are not recorded. When the cargo is finally collected the remarks on the documents are all too often not specific. Instead of listing what is missing and what has been tampered with, they merely write down 'damaged' which is insufficient to carry out proper investigations and identify where the loss occurred and who was responsible," says Keeling. "In the final leg of the cargo's journey, where this is the case, the opportunist has an excellent chance to feather his nest." Keeling believes that much of the problem lies at the depots. "Then we are faced with the attitude so often presented by the hauliers and the clearing agents that their job is to collect and deliver, and not inspect."