As from 01JUN22, pre-registration will be mandatory to get access to the forecourt of the cargo handlers at Schiphol Airport, following new security measures developed by both the handlers and the freight forwarders.
Managing Director, Maarten van As of the umbrella organization, Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN), says that the procedures are being implemented not only as a further step in the roll-out of the airport’s cargo process digitization strategy, but also as a measure to increase security.
“About 1.5 to 2 years ago, we were confronted with the theft of high-value technological shipments, prompting the hi-tech shippers to demand enhanced security measures. We analyzed the
situation together with the Ministry of Transport and Water Management, and the ‘Koninklijke Marechaussee’ (the State Police), and eventually came up with this solution.”
Monitoring 2,000 daily movements
On its website, ACN quotes Guy Driebeek, Head of SmartLOXS, the company that provides the security software and hardware, and takes care of the pre-registration as well. Mr. Driebeek says that
the decision to scrutinize all procedures and tighten the access to the forecourts of the handlers, has led to enhanced surveillance, and less ad-hoc procedures, all within a workable
environment.
Together, all 5 handlers - dnata, KLM Cargo, Menzies Aviation, Swissport, and World Flight Services - handle up to 2,000 truck movements per day. Some adjustments to the process had already been
made since DEC20: unidentified trucks can no longer cross the gates, the conditions to obtain an access pass issued by ACN have been restricted, and ACN passes that have not been used in the last
4 weeks are automatically blocked.
The next step, coming into force on 01JUN22, is visitor registration, which comes down to the planning department within the organization of the haulage companies. The planners will become
so-called ‘trusted persons’, working through a verified account on www.visitamscargo.com. There, they can
e-register the driver’s name, the company name, and the license plate number of the truck.
No registration, no access
Every registration is valid only once, and the driver cannot self-register. Aside from the drivers delivering or picking up cargo, pre-registration is also required for couriers and vehicles
delivering documents and ULDs. Unregistered persons will not be granted access to the airport premises, and will have to register at the booth, where the decision to grant access or not will be
taken.
Mr. Driebeek is convinced that - despite the extra work - planners will not put up a lot of resistance to the new procedures. “Together with the handlers, we have done everything to keep it
simple,” he says. “Companies that already have ACN passes can start e-registration right away. Companies that do not yet have them, have to register for an account only once. For export
cargo pre-registered through eLink, registration and visitor registration are automatic. On top of this, a lot of parties were already used to pre-registration via e-mail, which was quite
cumbersome, so that we are able to uniformize this at the same time.”
The next step will be in ‘boarding up’ the access to the cargo zones for unwelcome visitors, Mr. Driebeek concludes. “At the request of the security managers, we will further tighten up the
links with the cargo data, and add an extra check at the handover of the consignments. This will be done in an encrypted way.”
Marcel Schoeters in Amsterdam
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