SACAA tightens air cargo security

As part of the international tightening of air cargo security following the finding of bombs in the cargo holds of aircraft over the weekend of October 31, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has just issued its own restrictive measures on airfreight. These consist of seven specific regulations: * No air carrier shall carry unknown cargo. Cargo must be processed through a regulated agent facility, subjected to security controls (including screening) and must be declared as such to the carrier; * Mail must be subjected to 100% screening, sealed and must be accompanied by a valid postal manifest; * Known cargo must be labelled or marked as known cargo in accordance with the regulated agents’ approved security manual; * There must be a proper document trail of cargo processed and screened; * The acceptance of cargo, the verification of persons tendering cargo, verification of seals, how cargo is declared and the inspection of cargo for signs of tampering must take place; * Personnel involved in the processing of cargo and shipping documentation are background checked and must have completed appropriate security familiarisation training; * Ensure that known cargo is sealed with tamper-evident seals – and that such seals are intact.