The Seaniors: Certified Pick up
The Certified Pick up system guarantees a secure, transparent and efficient release process for incoming containers. But what were things like in the past? Freight forwarders Jean and Harry talk about what their job was like then and now.
Jean Aernaudts, former freight forwarder
"I worked in the port for 40 years as a freight forwarder with various firms. As architects of transport, we arranged the carriage of all kinds of goods by various means of transport, all over the world. What's the craziest cargo I ever handled? Perhaps the elephants we shipped from Africa for the Zoo."
International network
"For a while, I was also an agent for the Trans-Siberian Railway for transporting Chinese containers to Europe. I also visited Iraq for client visits more than five times. In 1985, the country was at war with neighbouring Iran and bombings forced us to flee by taxi through the desert to Jordan. Fortunately, I am not a fearful person."
Early in my career, I had a typewriter and a telex machine. I also remember the piles of paperwork for each shipment.
Jean Aernaudts,worked in the port in the 1970s
"My passport is full of stamps from my work trips. From Brazil, I helped set up an airlift to Zaventem to transport engines for combine harvesters. Early in my career, I had a typewriter and a telex machine. I also remember the piles of paperwork for each shipment. At one of my first employers, we even had an entire office set up as a kind of print shop. You typed a document on waxed paper using a stencil machine, and by putting it through a rotating drum of ink you could make a copy. You can't imagine that happening now..."
Harry Baffour, Supervisor Sea Freight
"As a freight forwarder, we are involved in every aspect of a shipment from A to Z, from customs formalities to container pickup by truck or barge. We work in an international network with different partners to provide our clients with optimal service. For example, we can help a client get clearance for a container in Brazil using our local contacts."
Importance of the port
"From dock workers to straddle carrier drivers, and us as freight forwarders: we're all important links in the whole chain. Almost everything you grab hold of or see comes from somewhere in the world, and it passes through the port. That's a remarkable realisation and gives a sense of accomplishment."
I once got a call from a client asking me to call the captain of a ship to tell him to go a bit quicker. We have absolutely no control over things like that, of course.
Harry Baffour,Supervisor Sea Freight at Tailormade Logistics
"We all do our part to keep the economy going. We are constantly dealing with different arrival times (ETAs) for ships. They could be delayed due to a storm, for example."
Certified Pick up: digital, secure and integrated container release solution
Certified Pick up is a digital platform for container release in Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The system guarantees safe, transparent and efficient container transport.
All information on the what and why of the platform can be found on the website. Using clear instructions and helpful videos, you will discover how to integrate Certified Pick up into your organisation.
