Cargo claims. More Cargo Theft from Warehouses

With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing, resulting in factories and other mass-employment facilities being shut down and employees’ daily wage being cut to a minimum, Africa has seen an increase in cargo claims.

We are used to seeing pilferage of cargo from containers during inland journeys. However currently we are witnessing an increase of cargo theft from inland storage facilities such as warehouses.

How to prevent losses from cargo theft from storage facilities in Africa and not only? That’s what we’ll show you how to do here.

Below is a picture of a warehouse from which cargo coffee was stolen. The thieves made a hole in the warehouse wall using a pickaxe before making off with the stolen 50kg bags of coffee in a vehicle.

Tips for shippers using third party warehousing to store their cargo:

Before you sign a storage contract with a third party warehousing company, ensure that the company has insurance.

Conduct relevant checks before signing contract with the warehouse.

Send a notification of loss to the warehouse who you contracted for storage as soon as you become aware of the cargo shortage.

Be aware that some freight forwarders may offer short notice periods for notifying a claim, after which the freight forwarder may attempt to reject the claim. It is advisable to send your claim notification as early as possible.

Gather evidence, such as weight slips, proving quantity of the cargo was indeed delivered to the warehouse and quantity left in the warehouse after the theft.

Lodge a claim with the warehouse company without any delay.

Cargo thieves are opportunists, and statistics indicate where, when and how they are likely to strike and the type of goods they are likely to target. Criminals are always harvesting fresh ideas and modifying previous techniques. Conduct periodic security audits of the warehouses your cargo is stored. Commitment for loss prevention is like magic. Do it now, and watch what happens.

Let us know what helps you to stop cargo thefts at info@recoupex.com