Tighter security regulations will impact US-bound cargo

If you’re exporting to the US, be warned – the US Transportation Security Administration is tightening the screws on imports, and recent legislation will dramatically affect shippers from South Africa and the rest of the continent. That’s according to Professional Risk & Asset Management GM Gerhard van Zyl who told FTW that the TSA had recently announced that it would no longer accept cargo except from a known consignor that has an established business relationship with a freight forwarder or air carrier. The arrangements preclude any cash business as well as imposing certain other restrictions. “Most people are aware of these requirements, but the Civil Aviation Authority hasn’t been actively promoting the regulated agent/known consignor integrated process as proposed by annexure 17, document 8973, implemented in South Africa as Part 108 of the Civil Aviation Regulations,” he told FTW. In addition the TSA has indicated that it plans to bring forward its requirement for mandatory screening of all cargo carried on passenger aircraft destined for the United States from December 2013 to the end of this year. It’s a topic that has provoked heated debate, most recently at the International Air Cargo Association’s executive summit in Bangkok. Delegates stressed that importers and consumers would face the prospect of significant global supply chain disruption if the deadline was brought forward. The lack of co-ordination between security organisations complicates the issue for South African shippers, Van Zyl added. “They tend to work within their own ambit. The CAA is prevented from doing a physical search when an explosive device or other prohibited item is suspected to be present because in terms of the Explosives Act, SA Police prohibit the opening of any parcel that may contain dangerous and hazardous materials or explosives.” The heightened security awareness was sparked last year when explosive devices were found in cartridges on a plane from Yemen. “The only reason the US picked it up was because they were tipped off. That set the ball rolling to move all deadlines forward – and local shippers will have to comply.”