Shippers hold thumbs for seal results

Fingers are being crossed in shipping circles in Zimbabwe that new security seals now being tried out on trucks are a success.
The new seals were tested for three weeks until February 13 on trucks travelling from Durban to Zambia and beyond. They are the result of an attempt by the community's communications and transport commission to replace the flimsy seals that were previously used.
Customs officials in many countries did not trust the strength of the old types and consignments were frequently opened two or three times for inspection. Beit Bridge
is the worst crossing point
for inspections.
Says Charles Vandervoort, in charge of the project:
The project's objective is to test that high-security container seals can significantly reduce the need to open and inspect transit containers. The seals are of high quality, are used in many parts of the world, are approved by the World Customs Organisation and are relatively inexpensive Ñ three or four rand each. Each seal has a unique identification number that is recorded on the customs documents. Once applied they can only be removed with a bolt cutter and therefore cannot be used again.
By Martin Rushmere