News

March 23rd was a day everybody in supply chain and logistics will remember for a long time. The Ever Given, a 400-meter long container ship, ran aground in the Suez Canal. The Ever Given is a Gold-class container ship with a capacity of 20,000 containers. What caused the vessel to run aground is still under investigation, but the heavy winds were a factor for sure.

Musketier has been part of Customs Support since October of 2020. As of April, it will also carry our name: Customs Support. They will also move offices and will occupy an entire floor of the Customs Support office in Duiven, across the street from the original Musketier office.

Customs Support, the independent and dynamic partner for customs and gas safety matters in Europe, announces the acquisitions of GOC Rotterdam. Custom Support’s ambition is to be the leading digital customs broker in Europe with strong ancillary services. This acquisition will strengthen our safety and gas analysis services in The Netherlands.

90 Percent of the world’s cargo is transported by shipping container. The number of containers keeps increasing. In 2019 the total throughput was 800 million TEU. TEU stands for Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, the length of a standard shipping container. COVID caused a small dip in the increase for 2020, but the forecast for 2021 is 827 million and the total throughput is forecasted to rise to 924 million in 2024. 

Customs Support strongly advises importers and exporters in both the European Union and the United Kingdom not to use the incoterm Delivery Duty Paid when trading between the European Union and the United Kingdom. 

On January 1st 2021 a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom has gone into effect, which will alter the way goods can be imported into the United Kingdom from the European Union and vice versa. The changes outlined below pertain to the import of goods using preferential rates.

One thing that will not change after Brexit is the need for a MRN. Both the Customs Authorities in the European Union and the Customs Authority in the United Kingdom will keep issuing MRN’s. So, what is an MRN?  

When goods are bought or sold "Ex Works" (EXW) it means that the Seller is making the goods available at their factory or warehouse. The buyer is then free to come and pick up the goods. Ex Works places full responsibility for cost and risk with the buyer, as the buyer has to arrange everything.

If we compare the customs brokerage industry with the financial industry, it is behind when it comes to digital transformation. Our industry is a very traditional one.