High security seals for transport and border exchange
Containers and trailers involved in international goods transport are subject to strict customs regulations from HMRC and EU border control. The type of seal used will depend on whether domestic or multimodal transport is involved. Our extensive range of single use tamper evident, high-security barrier and reusable electronic security seals puts us at the cutting edge of seal innovation and technology.
With the resumption of the transportation industry amid the pandemic, cargo shipments are now at risk more than ever from hijackers and smugglers attempting to exploit the situation. The rising numbers also see growing crimes of theft and swindling of cargo shipments threatening many different industries. And so, the need for securing goods-in-transit is both a guarantee and risk-avoidance insurance.
Our transport and logistics seals are now widely used in the multimodal shipping industry, for secure air-side transport at airports and throughout the distribution and logistics industry. Let’s take a look at some of the details surrounding different methods of secure transport:
Intermodal container trucks:
When trucks are part of a multimodal transport regime, their cargo is standardized in metal containers to ensure a fast and compatible transfer between different methods of transport (sea, air, road). In these cases, the most commonly used seals are high security seals: adjustable cable-type seals or bolt-type barrier seals. These seal must be in compliance withISO/PAS 17712 and, for the United States, C-TPAT. You can see our full range of HMRC Accepted seals and the full regulation surrounding the use of high-security seals by reading HMRC Notice 205: official customs sealing and trader seals.
International routes subject to the TIR Convention:
The TIR Convention is an international agreement regulating the transport of goods by road. Trailers affected by the TIR rules must meet all the requirements regarding the sealing of goods. The slightest indication of tampering of these customs seals can result in the truck being searched and not allowed to continue. Adherence to the regulatory requirements of shipping or manufacturing laws is mandatory. With high benchmarks of safety standards, security seals on all transported cargo are basic legal requirements. The EU Ministers of Transport have standard document providing detailed guidance on container transport security. You can find a detailed analysis and breakdown of security seals in section 2 of Container Security Measure: Analysis and Overview, beginning on page 51.
In relation to this guidance and EU regulation, we highlight two types of security seals available which meet the requirements of the TIR Convention: the Gemseal Ring Seal and our Metal Cable Seal.
