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On June 21, the Belarusian capital of Minsk became the venue for European Games II for 9 days. These are international competitions in shooting, gymnastics, wrestling, and 15 other sports. To coincide with the games, the Belarus Ministry of Sports has initiated a large-scale cultural program in which the first exhibition was called “European Martial Arts: From Vulcan’s Forge to the Arts of Mars."
AsstrA transported unique samples of weapons and typography from Italy to Belarus. Tatyana Chorny, Italy Specialist at AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG, talks about the complexities and characteristics of this cargo being shipped for the exhibition.
“The client has sent a request for the delivery of weapons from Bochichino to Minsk. According to our company policy, AsstrA does not deal with the transportation of goods of hazard class 1, i.e. weapons and explosives. After clarifying further, it turned out that the weapons in question were historical, from the 15th and 18th centuries. The two-hand longswords, rapiers, swords, halberds and 200 other pieces of art were drawn from the private collection of the founder of the Italian Association of Masters of Arms.
The key issues involved in logistics for art are project requirements and ensuring safety appropriate for the value of the cargo. Here, the AsstrA team faced shipping 1.5 milllion euros worth of goods were over 2,000 km in 5 days with 2 drivers.
Vehicles with the exhibits drove into Belarus on an ATA carnet. This type of carnet is used for temporarily imported goods, therefore it is used for expos, circuses, and theatrical equipment. The ATA procedure takes less time than standard customs formalities and does not require a bank guarantee or that customs customs documents be issued at border crossing points. Reduced paperwork simplified the imports and helped to meet the deadlines set by the client. The carnet does require that the goods are exported by a certain date.
Door-to-door delivery, loading and unloading monitoring, two drivers, stops at guarded parking areas, and GLONASS tracking all guaranteed the safety of the cargo along the route. Accompanying letters from the Italian Embassy in Belarus and the Italian Fencing Federation guaranteed painless and prompt passage through customs control. The transport proceeded non-stop and the exhibits were delivered to the Savitsky Gallery in Minsk on time.
The exhibition will continue until September 15, 2019. After its completion, the art will be taken back along the same route.”
