The TT Club and the International Security Panel of ICHCA International have joined to release a new handbook on supply-chain security. The publication is intended as a guide for operators on how to ensure the successful implementation of security measures. Entitled "Supply Chain Security - Management, Initiatives and Technologies," the guide promotes good practices while explaining the contribution that security can make to a company's bottom line. Ports and cargo-handling terminals are especially vulnerable, the organizations said, although operators throughout the supply chain are exposed to critical security issues. TT Club noted a 30-percent drop in incidents of pilferage and theft at ports since 2002, when the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code was implemented. Such initiatives have only limited value in international terms, however, according to Carina Dixon, chair of the ICHCA International Security Panel. The real problem, she said, is in enforcement and reciprocity. That remains the responsibility of a ship's flag state, or the country in which a port is based. What's lacking is a globally verifiable and universally accepted standard. One answer is the ISO 28000:2007 Specification for Security Management Systems for the Supply Chain. The TT Club, an international provider of insurance and other risk-management services to the transport and logistics sector, is urging its members to adopt ISO 28000. ICHA International is an organization promoting safety and efficiency in the handling of goods by all modes and throughout the supply chain.

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