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With the cargo weighing in at approximately 1000 tons one might expect that the air shipment from the United States would be a headache in itself. However, with 11 Antonov-124s flying the cargo into Kabul, the air portion of the shipment was the least of our worries. With two Guinness World Records to its name {one in 1993 for the heaviest single load ever transported by air (135.2 tons), and the other in 1991 acknowledging the heaviest shipment ever moved by air on one flight (142 tons)}, the AN-124's reputation precedes it. No wonder the aircraft is the industry's preferred option for oversized air shipments. Transferring the GE generators from the Antonovs onto flatbed trucks for the journey to Baghram and Kandahar proved a little trickier. As our Afghanistan manager Jay Cziracky explained, simply amassing enough flatbed trucks proved to be impossible. "The shipment required more flatbed trucks than actually exist in Afghanistan. We couldn't wait for more flatbeds to arrive from elsewhere so we had to make due with what we had. This meant cutting the sides off the closed trailers to make room for the generators! Needless to say the truck owners were a little dismayed. However, we assured them that the sides would be welded back on after the job." Unfortunately, the obstacles for transferring the cargo onto trucks didn't end there. The lifting and placement of the generators onto the makeshift flatbeds required a crane of massive proportions that Kabul's modest infrastructure couldn't supply. Jay anticipated this challenge and had a 95 ton crane flown in from Dubai on a - you guessed it - Antonov-124. Thankfully, once secured onto the transport trucks the rest of the journey was relatively smooth.
We stress "relatively" because smooth travelling in Afghanistan is hard to come by. Extra effort is
needed to ensure that the route will in fact run smoothly. In this case extra security had to be
provided by AES Cargo to deter bandits from targeting the valuable cargo. Additionally, due to the
shipment's unusually large weight and Afghanistan's horrid road conditions it was necessary for AES
to reinforce the trucks' suspensions and the numerous temporary bridges lining the route. The extra
work was worth it as the shipments arrived safely to their respective destinations. Now if we could
just find a couple of good welders...
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Romantic notions of the Central Asian steppes are ubiquitous, having been expressed in symphonies by Russian composers and chronicled in countless literary works by fascinated Western writers. However, such fanciful images of Central Asia's stark beauty and rich cultures were no doubt often lost on those who were charged with navigating its routes. While at the height of Genghis Khan's empire the Silk Road constituted one of the most complex and developed road systems in the world, traversing it was still no easy task. During this time Marco Polo and other Europeans made their trek all the way from Europe to China. The terrain of the Silk Road was difficult, the possible routes were numerous, and the dangers of the journey were deadly serious.
Some Things Never Change As the Central Asian states slowly emerge from a near century long isolation under Soviet rule, the region is returning to its role as a meeting place for East and West. The ancient Silk Road routes are once again playing host to international trade and AES Cargo's staff are on the front lines. While touring around in a Toyota 4x4 is certainly a step up from Marco Polo's camel caravans, our staff in the field face many of the same hazards that have plagued the journeys of Silk Road travelers for centuries. Badly deteriorated road surfaces, dangerous mountain passes, threat of banditry, massive gorges without barriers, sandstorms, snowstorms, six-meter icicles hanging from the tops of tunnels - these are just some of the obstacles that our drivers in the region are confronted with on a regular basis.
One of the few things that our drivers can count on not delaying them is construction and roadwork. Indeed, the roads in most parts of Central Asia have not seen maintenance in decades and our truckers covering the "Silk Road" today find that their progress is far from silky-smooth. In fact, quite often there isn't even a road. Each season presents its own challenges. When roads are covered in snow, frozen-solid rivers are sometimes utilized as makeshift highways. And come spring, a whole new set of challenges comes into play. Thawing snow can destroy the rare roads that do exist. Mudslides and roads caving in are everyday occurrences. Our manager in Afghanistan, Jay Cziraky, recalls seeing asphalt overhanging a gorge by two meters, the earth beneath the road having been completely washed away.
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Given the range of dangers that our drivers face it is perhaps unsurprising that AES Cargo has lost 3 drivers while in the line of duty in Central Asia - one over a cliff and two in a terrorist attack in Southern Afghanistan. While the dangers posed cannot be eliminated, one driver lost is too many and preventing further casualties hinges on taking all the necessary precautions.
Prepare For The Worst
Just as the success of travel during Marco Polo's era was dependent on the techniques of caravan travel and the skill of the riders so too does AES rely on the expertise, local knowledge and preparedness of its drivers.
When trucking across this region, proper planning is essential. All trucks travel in convoys, and undergo thorough inspections prior to departure. In wintertime, the lead vehicle is often fitted with a snowplow. As a result, AES Cargo convoys often look more like mobile road-engineering units, equipped with portable bridges, shovels, picks, axes, chains and repair kits. Not to be overlooked, the staff's personal vehicles are outfitted with winches, roll cages and steel bush bars and give the impression of an SUV on steroids. Not the standard features people look for in their cars, but then again our Silk Road staff are not your standard sort of people.
Access to a reliable means of communication is also important to a shipment's success. All AES Cargo convoys are equipped with mobile satellite units and check in on a regular basis with our Budapest control center. That center is staffed with native speakers from the all over Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and most problems can be solved in a matter of minutes, assuming a quick connection is possible.
However, in many situations there is little the Budapest headquarters can do to alleviate a problem that is thousands of miles away, particularly if a vehicle requires serious repairs. In these cases, the drivers are truly left to their own devices. Well, not exactly. On more than one occasion, the ingenuity and helpfulness of local people has been an invaluable resource for our Silk Road staff.
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Toughing It Out
While the assistance of local inhabitants no doubt also benefited the caravaneers of days gone by,
the costs of traveling the Silk Road eventually came to be seen as outweighing the benefits. The demise
of the Silk Road's importance coincided with the discovery of of a sea route to India that made the
risks of overland caravans unnecessary. However, overland travel has once again become essential.
The region, indeed the international community as a whole, depends on overland shipping to allow
for the delivery of humanitarian and military aid to remote areas. Additionally, land transport
is beginning to provide an outlet to world markets for the region's wealth of natural resources.
Although the going is tough, rest assured that AES Cargo will continue to brave the bumps along
the way in order to service both the needs of the region and our clients.
Is it safe?
By Paul Cziraky
Operations manager
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Yet, at the same time, we strongly recommend that you insure your goods.
That's because we are often forced to rely on people who are not necessarily as concerned about the cargo as we are.
No moving company owns its own ships, aircraft or trains. So any time we ship things by these channels, we must prepare for the unexpected. And we do, to the utmost of our ability.
Here are some of the areas where we offer superior service:
- Partners: We take great care to choose reliable partners, rather than the cheapest shipping lines. In these days of worldwide economic slump, rail, air and shipping lines are cutting costs, risking the quality of their service.
- Planning: We draw up extensive planning schedules to ensure that if a problem does arise, we are immediately aware of it and can solve it.
- Experience: Move One has the largest volume of shipments and tonnage to and from our region, and thus have good relations and priority when dealing with shipping lines.
- Loading containers: It is not only important how your moving company packs the shipment but also how the goods are loaded into a shipping container and transported. If a refrigerator is placed on top of a crystal chandelier, or antiques are placed next to the steel wall of a shipping container, you will have damage.
- Standards: FAIM is the highest and most demanding quality assurance program for International Movers. ISO is not specifically tailored for the moving industry so its issuance does not show if a company is a qualified mover. For example, you can receive an ISO certificate for data entry or engine repair.
We're well aware that thieves are opportunists. When sending goods by rail (which happens with most ocean shipments at some point), we place containers door-to-door, preventing them from being opened in transit. We also lock them with secure locks capable of withstanding cutting and acid.
We load valuables in first (there is a door only at one end of the shipping container) and build a security wooden bulkhead at the door. This will keep goods from shifting in transit and dissuade theft.
We are constantly reviewing and training our staff on security issues, and fit our vehicles with satellite navigation and alarms. When shipping to many parts of the world, it is very important that goods receive special security, including convoys, armed escorts and satellite tracking.
Expecting The Unexpected: Crossing Borders in Central Asia
By Randy Gabrielson
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What a good thing that these managers never tried working for AES Cargo in Central Asia!
Randy Gabrielson, our manager in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, recently had to travel from that city to neighboring Tajikistan for a meeting. A quick glance at a map would suggest that making the trip is simply a matter of booking a ticket and hopping on a plane. Not so, as Randy was to discover. Flights to Tajikistan were non-existent, a result of the seemingly random closures that air connections and border crossings between the two states are periodically subjected to.
Indeed, presuming anything with regards to travel arrangements is risky in Central Asia. Poor infrastructure and harsh weather conditions are the usual suspects when flight plans are disrupted. However, in this case, ethnic tension played the spoiler and may be added to the long list of factors that make traversing Central Asia a formidable undertaking.
The deep animosity that exists between Tajiks and Uzbeks continues to mar relations between these two former Soviet republics and a lack of air connections is merely one manifestation.
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With relations between the two countries this thorny it's perhaps unsurprising that Randy's difficulties began before he even set out. Having discovered that flying was a non-option Randy turned his attention to securing a Tajik visa. In the proud tradition of post-Soviet customs culture, making visa arrangements for Tajikistan can be a tedious process, particularly if you're arriving from Uzbekistan. Randy's options for getting a visa were limited to say the least. There is one tour operator in Uzbekistan authorized to issue Tajik visas. With no competition to speak of, the prices are far from attractive. And the travel options offered to Randy by the tour operator? Hail a cab!
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At least you can count on some modes of transport. The Tajik taxi took Randy to the northern Tajik city of Khudzhand over a cratered surface that provided an off-roading experience even when sticking to the road. As Randy noted, "it was the sort of road that was so riddled with potholes that you were better off just driving in the ditch." After surviving the bumps, Randy was finally able to alight a plane for the remainder of the journey to Dushanbe.
If travelling can be likened to music then getting around Central Asia is akin to free form jazz,
with success dependent on the creative improvisation of the players. Indeed, improvisation is
something our Central Asian staff will have to get used to.....with operations in the region
continuing to expand AES representatives will no doubt continue to face the day to day challenge
of getting from point A to point B.
Streamlining procedures at our Hungary HQ
Imagine an AES customer is sending shipments to four countries. The last thing they want is to be sent four different bills in Polish, Russian, Uzbek, and Hungarian from AES offices in various countries.
But that doesn't happen here. This situation shows why we centralize so many of our procedures through our Budapest headquarters office, including billing.
"There's one point of contact and it's easier for our customers," AES managing director Curt Clements said. "One email, one bill, and they pay one bank account."
As our company has grown throughout Central and Eastern Europe and into Central Asia, it has become increasingly important to centralize our procedures to make sure that all offices work in the same reliable, efficient manner.
Examples of centralization are present all over our company. For example, all ads are created and approved in Budapest.
In the moving department, our FIDI status is a matter of pride. So every office needs to adhere to FIDI standards. HQ staff collect copies of all paperwork to ensure that procedures are followed. In addition, survey packets are created in Budapest based on the same model and individualized for each country.
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"We can control and monitor costs (across all our offices), and make sure our pricing is competitive," he said.
There's another, very practical reason why we've chosen to centralize everything in Budapest: reliable infrastructure. Can you imagine having our home base at our Afghanistan office, where you can't depend on electricity or the phones?
All this centralization means that our HQ, in a modern downtown building is a very busy place.
We occupy the entire third floor, with spacious offices for ERC, Move One, AES Cargo, and the finance department. Next to the cargo area is "the IT cave," where our high-tech staff keep the computers up and running in the company of four servers and lots of caffeinated beverages. The long halls are bustling all day long with a mix of people and nationalities. HQ is a diverse place; on any given day you can pass by someone from Hungary, Yugoslavia, Canada, England, the United States, Russia, Japan, France, South Africa, Kosovo, Australia, or New Zealand. And that's only from our 51 employees -- clients can be from anywhere.
Wherever our clients may hail from, when booking shipments via AES Cargo we kindly ask that they route all communications, requests and tracing via our Budapest headquarters. Keeping touch in this way allows us to handle your shipment in the most efficient manner. Even if you want an update on a shipment's status our center is your best bet. In many cases our operations center has a satellite link with our field offices and can provide instant updates.
For up to date information on routings and consignment information please visit our website
at: www.aescargo.com.
And The Band Played On...
After weeks of pressure Iraq finally relented and is now allowing U2 spy plane flights over its territory. We here at AES Cargo can sympathize with the international community's difficulties in securing Iraq's permission. You see six years ago AES Cargo encountered similar resistance from authorities for the shipment of U2 equipment from Croatia into Bosnia - U2 the band that is.
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Our role in the whole affair seemed pretty straight- forward - ship the band's equipment in and out of Bosnia all within the span of 48 hours. Straightforward perhaps, but a task of enormous proportions as anyone who's been to a U2 concert might imagine. No fewer than 50 AES Cargo trucks formed a convoy three kilometers in length as they brought the rock band U2 and all its equipment from Italy to Sarajevo.
Handling such a large shipment has the potential to be a logistical nightmare, particularly when one considers the time sensitive nature of such work. As AES manager Paul Cziraky notes, "Sometimes there is a window of three or four hours in the middle of the night, between the time the band stops playing and the time they have to start moving to the next location".
While the sheer tonnage of the shipment posed challenges, the greatest hurdle was gaining exit into Bosnia across the Croatian border. Because the trucks were crossing areas that had once been the front lines of war, AES personnel had some hassles trying to get through. These were not your ordinary border delays but rather problems arising from the ethnic tensions still simmering between Bosnians and Croats in the war's aftermath. Recalls Cziraky, "They were jealous that U2 was playing in Bosnia. In the end we had to get a NATO peacekeeping officer to come and tell them to let the trucks through."
Having finally got the green light from Croatia's border police, the last 20 trucks of the convoy made a belated arrival at Sarajevo's Olympic Stadium. The show was a massive success although those in attendance surely had no idea how close the concert was to being postponed or even cancelled.
As an increasing number of popular Western rock bands include East European dates on their tour
schedules, AES Cargo is becoming familiar with the roadie lifestyle. With time constraints that
make an average shipment seem like a walk in the park, the work can be intense and sleep is hard
to come by. "When you look at the tour shirts and see all the different cities a band is playing in
consecutive nights, think about the people behind the scenes making sure they can be there on time,"
says AES Managing Director, Curt Clements. As the U2 experience highlighted, being there on time
in
Eastern Europe can be easier said than done.
Yugo-where?
Our country manager in Belgrade, Petar Visekruna, would like to point out that there is no longer a country called Yugoslavia.
The new state will still have one chair in the UN and most international organizations and retain a joint defense and foreign policy. However, after a three-year period, Serbia and Montenegro are each entitled to conduct a referendum for independence.
Founded after World War I as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Yugoslavia went through numerous incarnations and name changes during the 20th century and, most famously, underwent an explosive shrinking process in the early '90s.
Kosovo remains under UN/KFOR administration.
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On the Horizon is
published monthly by AES Cargo for cargo
professionals and clients.
Send comments, questions, and ideas for this publication to editor@aescargo.com. For other assistance, contact AES Cargo headquarters at: Millennium Center Building Pesti Barnabás u. 4, 3rd floor 1052 Budapest Tel.: +36-1-266-0184 Fax: +36-1-266-3010 info@aescargo.com www.aescargo.com If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please click here: unsubscribe@aescargo.com. |
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