PHILADELPHIA and DARTFORD - Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (United Kingdom’s Tax and Customs Authority) has certified BDP International UK Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BDP International, as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), based on its compliant, safe and secure performance in the international supply chain. AEO status gives BDP’s UK operations, which include sea and air freight services and logistics support for marine packed chemicals, bulk liquid, commodity and project-related shipments, easier access to certain simplifications in customs procedures such as guarantee waivers and centralized clearance, as well as facilitations from certain security and safety controls. “AEO approval in the United Kingdom is among the most stringent in Europe,” noted Anthony Akerman, BDP’s UK country manager. “Through the contributions of all UK managers, we feel we have resilient compliance processes in place to better serve our clients.” To qualify for AEO certification, BDP had to meet specific compliance criteria for a range of operational areas. The entire process took nearly eight months and involved numerous visits by HMRC agents to complete the certification. “The audits did not just cover the operations side, but financial, IT, security requirements for the staff, buildings, systems, documents and other aspects,” explained Owen Tooze, BDP customs and compliance manager for the UK. “In 2016 HMRC will put more financial pressure on UK companies to have AEO certification,” said Akerman, “and BDP is ready to fully support our clients when these changes become effective.”