Three German firms lose ‘known shipper’ status for poor security

Germany this week cracked down on air cargo security standards and withdrew ‘known shipper’status from three unnamed companies while three logistics firms had AEO status applications

The three firms, located in North Rhine Westphalia, were part of unannounced checks on 70companies by the German Civil Aviation Authority (LBA).

In addition, three unnamed logistics companies in different parts of the country hadapplications for Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status rejected on the grounds of poor securitystandards, the German transport ministry announced. None of the companies was named.

LBA inspectors checked access points to company facilities, observance of written securityregulations and security controls during shipment handling. The spot checks found problems withaccess control in particular, according to the ministry.

In addition to the licence measures with the three shipping companies and three logisticscompanies, minor security weaknesses were found at 20 of the 70 companies. These includedinsufficient documentation of security staff training or missing freight papers. These companieswere ordered to improve standards and will undergo further checks, the ministry said.

LBA inspectors had already checked the facilities of AEO-certified logistics companies in majorcities shortly after the foiled parcel-bomb plot to check whether ad-hoc security measures werebeing implemented. No major problems were found, the ministry said.

German transport minister Peter Ramsauer commented: “Germany meets high standards for air cargosecurity. But we must remain on our guard in order to ensure the highest possible security. That’swhy we strengthened our checks in recent weeks. With the unannounced inspections we want toidentify weaknesses and resolve them immediately. Companies that do not meet our security standardswill have their licence withdrawn. We want to further improve the security of the supply chain –together with the companies.”