It is now just over a week until a new US requirement demands that all cargo being carried on US domestic and outbound passenger flights is screened for explosives. While airlines have been screening all cargo on narrow-body aircraft since 2008 – which accounts for over 95% of domestic flights – the 1 August deadline includes wide-bodies and will bring this figure to 100%.
The law was introduced by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to guard against terrorists getting a bomb on a plane. Some have questioned whether freight forwarders, shippers and the carriers will be ready for the regulation, but several airlines have announced that they are prepared.
This week, American Airlines Cargo (AAC) became the latest, saying: “[AAC] is fully prepared to meet the demands of this requirement, having made substantial investments in new x-ray machines, personnel, and employee training. “Our goal is to make these changes as easy and as cost-effective for our customers as possible.” But AAC is asking shippers to get cargo that needs screening to airports two hours earlier and pay for the extra costs to make sure the cargo gets on the aircraft it is booked on.
Lufthansa Cargo started screening all outbound US cargo shipments to be carried on passenger aircraft one month ahead of the new regulations, and a spokesman for Emirates Skycargo tells IFW:
“We’re asking agents tendering unscreened cargo to do so as early as possible to avoid any delays. At this time, we don’t anticipate any delays or problems. “We believe all cargo agents are thoroughly familiar and compliant with the regulations, and have made plans to provide a Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF) or early delivery to carriers for screening. “Well over 50% [of customers] are CCSF-compliant, and this is increasing all the time.”
But even though these airlines – and many of their customers – appear prepared, the TSA says it expects some delays to be caused by the new rules. A TSA spokesman tells IFW: “Certain airports with many wide-body flights may see some level of delay at the outset, but carriers have stated that, with the assistance of forwarders and shippers who are already screening a large volume of cargo, delays should be minimal.” The spokesman warns that if cargo is not screened, it will not fly. For those that are not ready, New York-based Mariners Harbour Cargo Terminal is offering clients exporting from JFK, Newark and La Guardia airports a buffer period, by providing free screening during August.
About half of all domestic US cargo is being screened at more than 800 CCSFs run by companies certified by the TSA. But the US government's Accountability Office recently warned that the TSAcould struggle to properly monitor these centres, and that there could be problems screening large shipments of small packages. In response, the TSA spokesman says: “[The] TSA routinely verifies screening compliance through the review of screening logs and inspections. Certified facilities must implement multi-layered security programmes which must allow TSA inspections.” And the TSA is testing new technologies and recommends that shippers of difficult-to-screen goods, including bulk configurations of any product, should strongly consider joining the Certified Cargo Screening Programme (CCSP), which allows forwarders and shippers to pre-screen cargo themselves to avoid bottlenecks.
Most major forwarders have signed up to the CCSP, but some are still concerned about possible delays. Jonathan Blackney, General Manager of air freight at SBS Worldwide, told IFW earlier this year: “Our US offices are fully compliant and can handle our own pre-screening. “I don’t think we will see much pre-screened cargo from shippers – they feel it’s the forwarder’s role.”
For shippers and forwarders that haven’t signed up to the CCSP, there are alternatives, such as using freighters, which do not need 100% screening, or using ships, rail or trucks to bring the freight to the US. Bellyhold airlines say they are not concerned about losing volumes to freighters, because they won’t have the capacity to handle all the extra traffic – half of the world’s air freight is transported on passenger flights.
The TSA aims to have all inbound US cargo screened, but it admits this is years away. “But 100% of identified high-risk cargo is now screened on international flights,” says the spokesman. “The TSA is developing requirements so countries may submit an approved foreign government national cargo security programme that provides commensurate levels of security on inbound cargo.”
Source: Damian Brett & Katharine Kerr, IFW News, 23 July 2010