Press release 28.6.2006

Finnish Custom’s first partnership agreement with freight forwarder

Finnish Customs and the Finnish freight forwarder Oy Beweship Ab are today signing a historical first partnership agreement between a freight forwarder and the Customs.
The purpose of the partnership agreement is to deepen, simplify and improve the co-operation between freight forwarders and the Customs offices.

At the same time a Memorandum Of Understanding is signed. The MOU is based on an initiative from the World Customs Organization WCO to enhance co-operation between Customs administrations and trade and industry. By joining the knowledge, information, skills and contact networks of Customs administrations and trade and industry the prevention of customs crimes as well as the promotion of legal foreign trade is made more effective.

“We are pleased that Finnish Customs chose a Finnish family owned freight forwarding company as their pilot for the project. Both parties have worked very hard to get to know each others methods of working, even though they were relatively familiar to us before. We still have learnt a lot during the process. The partnership brings both responsibility and obligations, but on the other hand we have agreed on solutions concerning our co-operation that reduce as well as rationalize the work on both sides. Our future cooperation will be more efficient. One could say that we become an extension of the Customs” states Mr. Bengt Westerholm, CEO of the freight forwarding company Oy Beweship Ab.

When Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and EU expanded in 2005 the co-operation between freight forwarders and Customs decreased since customs clearance isn’t necessary for internal flow of goods.

“Our operations have developed and our company has expanded so that we are making more customs clearances this year than we did before Finland joined the EU.
It is fantastic to be part of a process where a traditionally formal bureaucratic governmental organization is being transformed into a modern service organization. Finnish Customs is a very progressive in this development, even on a world wide comparison”, says Bengt Westerholm.

Through this co-operation Oy Beweship Ab, founded in 1957, strengthens its position as the leading Finnish freight forwarder. The turnover for 2005 was € 53 million. 125 000 shipments were handled. The Beweship group employs approx. 250 people.


More information Mr. Bengt Westerholm, CEO, Oy Beweship Ab
phone +358-9-351 661

Distribution: central media