Alert for Pharmaceutical Carriers Booking Ferries

21st March 2019

Hauliers who carry pharmaceuticals may have been contacted by their respective pharma customers advising them of government ferry capacity tickets for category 1 class goods.

The RHA is advising its members not to book freight movements on government secured freight capacity at this time.

The DfT has confirmed to the pharmaceutical industry that tickets for the Government secured freight capacity for category 1 goods are now available. The first batch covers sailings between 29 March and the 18 April.

However, all bookings are non-refundable and cannot be amended.

Given the uncertainty over how ports would operate after a ‘no-deal’ Brexit on 29 March, the RHA believes that it’s an unacceptable risk for operators to make or pay for bookings on these routes.

Communication from government is being channelled through pharmaceutical traders not with the haulage industry.

RHA policy director England and Wales, Duncan Buchanan, said: “Operators who make the bookings can be stuck with the costs of missed shipments – this is not acceptable. If bookings are made the liability for missed ferries, disruption and queues should rest with the client not the haulage operator.”

-ENDS-