Felixstowe not likely to compensate forwarders

British International Freight Association says only shipping lines could receive payouts for port disruptions.    The British International Freight Association (BIFA), which represents more than 1,500 U.K.-registered companies in the logistics and supply chain management sector, warned freight forwarders not to expect compensation from the disruption at the Port of Felixstowe.
   The port has been experiencing delays since it implemented its new terminal operating system, nGen, last month.
   “Having had a meeting with the port’s senior management, it is clear that the only companies that might receive any compensation are shipping lines,” BIFA Director General Robert Keen said. “The port authority has made it clear to us that it does not consider BIFA members to be direct customers of the port and would not be willing to have a discussion about possible compensation for the damage caused and the increased costs that have been incurred by those members.”
   Despite delays, the port has said, “The new terminal operating system will provide improved long-term resilience as well as increasing operational performance and consistency in the future.”
   The Felixstowe Port Users’ Association (FPUA), an independent body for companies that conduct business activity in or through the port, was advised last week during a meeting with the port that the terminal operating system was functioning correctly for the vast majority of transactions, according to FPUA Chairman Jason Flowers.
   “Although a date was not given as to when normal service levels may return, an indication was given that this could be by mid-July,” Flowers said last week. “If there is a plus point to this, after having the nGen system explained to us and how it works differently to their former system NAVIS and Charts, I do believe that, once the errors have been fixed, the system should provide a better platform for the port to build on and improve throughput of containers through the port.”
   The Port of Felixstowe, which claims to be Britain’s biggest and busiest container port, is called by 27 fully cellular container services connecting it to regions outside Britain, 22 of which sail to regions outside North Europe, according to BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool.