AN INSIDE LOOK: Stavanger's Secure Shipping
At a global company, shipping is an essential part of Heli-One’s daily operations. Our Stavanger facility has additional approvals that allow them to expedite the process - but that also comes with some unique training and education.
Our facility in Stavanger, Norway, relies heavily on speedy and efficient shipping services to send and receive parts and components. Heli-One’s other facilities and customers are located around the world, so our shipping teams are experts at sending anything anywhere.
To facilitate this, our Stavanger location is an approved Regulated Agent. This means that the team is approved to conduct the security check and load cargo directly onto a passenger aircraft. Around 80 percent of goods shipped out of Stavanger is on passenger aircraft - so if you think checking in your luggage was an ordeal, clearing a swashplate is an entirely different matter.
The major advantage of being a security approved Regulated Agent is that our team processes the administrative and security clearance of goods so that these can be shipped quickly and are not held up by delays. Cargo can be loaded up to 30-60 minutes before departure (on some flights) rather than going through an external resource or airport authorities where unsecured cargo could be held up to five days in quarantine.
Air cargo is held in a designated secured area within the Stavanger facility and only authorized personnel have access. To become an approved Regulated Agent, the team has to prove to the regulatory agency (Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority) that the physical space and staff training meet requirements. The shipping team undergo Security training for Regulated Agent every other year, which involves reviewing new regulations and real-life cases of security breaches. There are tabletop exercises, as well as annual physical tests, including the intrusion of non-authorized personnel or fake suspicious objects purposely planted to ensure the team’s visual inspection skills are kept fresh.
Team members must identify this object amongst the legitimate goods being shipped. HESS (Health, Environment, Safety & Security) Manager Rosanna Caragounis shared with us a picture of one of the devices that keep the team on alert and inspection skills up to date.
The next time you get a package from Stavanger, you can be assured it’s passed a very thorough security check.