British International Freight Association -

The Paperweight and the Panama Delay

Marcus’s usual solutions have failed. His email inbox is a graveyard of unanswered pleas. The shipping line won’t talk to him because he’s “just the forwarder.” The Chilean agent has stopped returning calls. british international freight association

A £2.3 million shipment of MRI scanners is stuck at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. The shipping agent in Valparaíso, Chile, has “misdeclared” the cargo’s IMDG code (hazardous class) for the coolant. The ship’s captain has locked the containers. The client, a Manchester hospital trust, is threatening legal action. Marcus’s boss is shouting about “liquidated damages.” The Paperweight and the Panama Delay Marcus’s usual

Desperate, Marcus remembers the beige, heavy-stock membership certificate hanging behind his filing cabinet. British International Freight Association – Member. He’d always treated it as wallpaper. But six months ago, at a dreary industry breakfast in Heathrow, he’d swapped cards with a woman named , BIFA’s Member Advice Line lead. The client, a Manchester hospital trust, is threatening

He also buys a better frame for the beige certificate.