Apart from locks, the first defense against
tampering are the numbered seals the shipping company provides to seal a
container's doors. If a seal is broken or damaged then it may well be that the
container has been tampered with. But instances have been recorded where
traditional seals have been broken and replaced without any visible sign of this
having occurred. Because of this some exporters add locks of their own to
physically secure container doors.
Containers and their seals must also be physically
checked each time a container changes hands, for example from origin terminal to
ship, from ship to arrival terminal, from arrival terminal to truck, and from
truck to roasting plant. Ideally, each time a Container Interchange Receipt should be
established that records the seal's condition, the seal number, and the exterior
condition of the container itself. Should there be something wrong with any of
these then the receipt trail could show under whose responsibility this
happened, in turn enabling a claim to be lodged if necessary. The last check
takes place just before the container will be opened. Shipping lines also use
these receipts to claim redress for any physical damage to the actual container
itself.
Security of containers is not just to protect the
coffee. In recent years, illegal drugs have also been found in coffee containers
(as a result of port to port conspiracies, unconnected with the coffee trade).
The international coffee trade and the shipping community are actively working
with customs authorities worldwide to help stop the use of coffee shipments as a
vehicle for illegal drugs. Obviously, container seals are the first line of
defence in this battle.
Modern seals incorporate increasingly sophisticated
technology that makes undetected tampering much more difficult. But physical
verification is still required. Seals by themselves cannot prevent containers
being opened - they are not a deterrent but rather a means of verification. Even
so, seals are no better than the person who
places them. If that person cannot be trusted then one cannot be sure
the seal was really placed at all, i.e. that it was not faked. It is not for
this website to explain different ways in which the placing of seals has
previously been faked. Instead, one solution is to use clear seals that show the
mechanism, with the number printed on the inside under a clear elevation that
works as a magnifying glass.
In the end even intact seals prove only that the
cargo seems not to have been interfered with after the seals were affixed. Bulk
containers have been known to be attacked by forcing a pipe through the rubber
door seals and into the liner, after which coffee is simply siphoned out. This
is easily prevented by placing a plank upright on the floor inside and in front
of the doors before shutting them. However, there have also been instances where
containerized cargo has disappeared during inland transit to port, yet doors and
seals were perceived as intact. Where this occurs with any regularity shippers
really only have one option: invest in security measures such as having trucks
travel in escorted convoys, only allowing night stops in authorized locations,
etc.
If a container's seal
and seal number are sound and correct on arrival of an FCL shipment, but the
condition or weight of the coffee is not, then the receiver will claim from the
shipper/exporter, also if stuffing took place under supervision. When goods are
shipped FCL, the responsibility lies with the person supplying them unless the
bill of lading shows the container was accepted as sound but at destination it
is delivered damaged. To repeat, the burden of proof always lies with the
shipper
For goods shipped on LCL basis shipping lines can be
held responsible only for the number and the apparent good order and condition
of the bags, Therefore, if on arrival the seal and seal number of a container
shipped on LCL basis are sound and correct, but the condition or number of the
bags is not, then the receiver will claim from the shipping line.