Brussels “Postpones” Start of 24-hour Container Regulations

(Janet Porter — Lloyd’s List)

Plans by the European Union to tighten container security through a scheme modelled on one already operational in the US are falling behind schedule, partly because of the difficulty of obtaining uniformity across member states.

Requirements to complete security clearance for containers 24 hours before vessel loading have been in place for US-bound boxes for some time and have worked well, largely because of close co-operation between the authorities and shipping lines when the rules were being drafted.

The Washington-based World Shipping Council, which represents most global carriers, now hopes to repeat that success story in Europe, where Brussels is working on a similar set of rules.

One of the biggest lessons learned from the US when the 24-hour rule was being developed was the importance of consistency and the need for security assessments to be conducted in the same way at ports across the country, said Crowley Maritime chairman and chief executive Tom Crowley. Read more here.