‘Secure’ airfreight shipments win Customs advantages

AUTHORISED secure air cargo shipments are four to six times less likely to undergo a delaying Customs examination, a major forwarder reveals.
Such approved consignments are also favoured for quick release when selected for on-the-spot Customs checks, says the Hong Kong-based U-Freight Group (UFL).
The forwarder has had its American subsidiary’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) status rubber-stamped after an extensive revalidation visit by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff to Hong Kong.
The visiting inspectors scrutinised export warehouses and operations and also met with senior UFL managers, including Ben Leung, compliance specialist.
U-Freight America’s revalidation comes 10 years after it was first certified and seven years after it was validated in 2006, the same year that UFL’s oceanfreight forwarding division, U-Ocean USA, was certified.
Supply chain security remains a number one priority at UFL, which is why the group prizes U-Freight America’s C-TPAT revalidation, says a company statement. 
Clients directly benefit from the official authorisation.
UFL partners in Europe are currently striving for accreditation to the EU’s AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) scheme. 
Since 2012, the USA and the EU have recognised each other’s certified trusted traders and known-shippers regimes.
U-Freight partners with AEO status in the EU include U-Freight Holland, Tracosa in Spain and Germany’s Alpha trans Luft und Seefrachtspedition.
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