MILLENNIUM NEWS

Winners Again - Back of the net!

Millennium success continues both in and out of the office. As the Millennium five a side team dribble their way to becoming this year's winners of the Star City Wednesday League. No jumpers for goal posts for these boys.

Together with plenty of skill and dexterity, the boys at Millennium pride themselves on fair play, and of course tonnes of enthusiasm and determination. Taking the same hardworking spirit from work to the pitch means that they really are deserving winners (well why be modest when you are holding the cup!)

So well done boys, here's to another Millennium win.

Europe's northern seaports are still the most economically and environmentally efficient gateways to large parts of central Europe, says a new study.

Rather than discharging cargo at ports along the Mediterranean coast, large north-west range ports carry numerous economic and geographic advantages for shippers.

The analysis was carried out on behalf of the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg by Dutch transport research agency NEA.

The authors cite five main factors determining Northern Europe's competitive advantages: First, cargo generation and attraction rates are higher because of its higher concentration of industrial activity.
Second, the Alps and the Rhine waterways form, respectively, a natural barrier and a natural corridor extending the catchment area of the northern ports towards Switzerland and Austria, in turn encouraging the development of high-capacity, low-cost intermodal corridors.
Third, economies in maritime networks are extending the ports' competitive hinterlands further to the south. Deployment of large container vessels is lowering the costs of shipping between North Europe ports and the Far East, while clustering of activity, scale economies and deep water at those same ports allows the use of ships with the lowest unit costs.
Fourth, the ability of the northern main ports to combine transhipment and hinterland transport contributes further to the scale effect, and from an environmental perspective, large containerships are less polluting per tonne/km.
In addition, the report says: "Considering both internal and external costs for a container arriving from the Far East via Suez, the Northern European ports have an advantage that reaches as far as the Southern German border." However, it does point out that economic growth in Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary, resulting from improved infrastructure and economic integration, will foster scale economies in southern Europe.
Furthermore, inland intermodal links towards Hungary will help Adriatic ports to gain greater market share.

Nevertheless, even pessimistic growth forecasts for the north still look strongly positive in absolute terms, and so there will be a continuing need for high capacity multimodal links. News gained from www.ifw-net.com

Dot the i's and cross the t's

When importing and exporting goods; having the correct paperwork is crucial to a successful transaction. If you have missing or inaccurate documents it can increase the risks of delays, extra costs, or even prevent a deal being completed.

Rita says "Whether you are importing or exporting, you need to understand what paperwork is required. Millennium Cargo's freight forwarding service not only ensures your goods arrive safely and on time, but are accompanied with the correct professionally completed international trade documentation."

To avoid confusion and minimise the risk of problems and delays, internationally agreed Incoterms should be used to describe exactly what delivery terms have been agreed. Below outlines some of the areas to consider for customs, transport and payment:

• Easy to understand contract between the seller and buyer, including details of the goods and exactly where goods will be delivered
• Paperwork to show who will arrange transport and to where
• Specific documents may be needed for the country the goods are being exported and imported from. This will help get the goods through customs and to work out the right duty and tax charges
• Accurate documentation is needed to cover the transport of the goods, noting who is responsible for insuring the goods, and who pays the insurance
• Who handles the customs procedures, and who pays any duties and taxes

To learn more on how Birmingham based Millennium Cargo's documentation handling service can ensure your cargo arrives safely call Rita Vadukul on 0121 311 0550.