Effective for Cargo Shipped from Load Port between 1 September 2018 to 30 April 2019 (inclusive) From 1 September 2018, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources will reintroduce heightened measures to manage the risk of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) for target high risk and target risk goods shipped as sea cargo during the above risk period.

SUMMARY

Goods
Our previous newsletters detailed the cargo which is to be categorised as target high risk goods and target risk goods. These two different types of cargo will be treated differently as follows:

Target high risk goods manufactured in, or shipped from France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, and the United States of America, as sea cargo will require mandatory treatment for BMSB.
· Goods shipped as break bulk, in open top containers or on flat racks must be treated offshore prior to arrival into Australia.
· Goods shipped as containerised FCL (full container loads); FCX ( full container consolidated); LCL ( less than container load) cargo may be treated offshore or onshore. Treatment onshore will only be permitted at container level (no deconsolidation or segregation of the goods will be allowed).
· AQIS may require the re-export or destruction of high risk goods requiring mandatory offshore treatment and arriving untreated, or treated by an unapproved treatment provider, unless exceptional circumstances are granted.
· Your goods may be subject to a random inspection after treatment to validate the effectiveness of treatments.
· Your goods may be subject to a random inspection if they are from all other emerging BMSB risk countries.

Target risk goods manufactured in or shipped from France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia, and the United States of America, as sea cargo will have increased onshore random inspection for BMSB.
· Goods will be subject to increased onshore intervention through random inspection and will be directed for onshore treatment if BMSB is detected.

BMSB seasonal measures do not apply to goods not identified as “target high risk” and “target risk”. However, these goods may be subject to the measures if they are part of a consignment that contains target high risk and target risk goods.

AQIS approved treatment options are heat treatment; methyl bromide fumigation; and sulphuryl fluoride fumigation.

Fraudulent Certificates: AQIS has developed a system to monitor and detect the use of fraudulent certificates, they will also target consignments with a certificate from a treatment provider that is not approved. These consignments will either be exported or destroyed, in an approved manner.

Avoid Delays and Costs and ensure that if your goods are subject the BMSB measures that you obtain commercial customs clearance documents and forward them to us as early as possible, as AQIS have advised there will be long delays in processing documents. BMSB measures are in addition to existing import requirements for goods. Random inspection will also be undertaken on target high risk and risk goods from other countries where BMSB is likely or known to be established in order to monitor the risk of BMSB on those pathways.

Further Information: More information about the measures including treatment options is available on the department’s BMSB webpage, including details about the measures and list of approved treatment providers.

Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia Inc. (CBFCA) Regional Manager of WA, John Park, said container trade at Fremantle this year is more promising than in recent years and importers of containerised goods through Fremantle are urged to order early to reduce the risk of congestion, delivery delays and extra costs leading up to Christmas.

“Last financial year was a record year for Fremantle with a container throughput of almost 770,000 TEU, breaking through the three quarters of a million mark for the first time,” Mr Park said.

“This year, the container throughput for June, traditionally not the busiest month, was 63,819 TEU, almost as high as the busiest month of 2016.”

With container trends the way they're heading, pressure on the supply chain will be greater than ever. Shipping lines are also noting the trends, with rates much firmer than they have been for many years. Mr Park said there had been improvement in the supply chain efficiency in recent years with more stack runs at night, two new major empty container parks and by importers ordering early for peak season.

“However, supply chain pressures did arise in November and December last year as some importers were complacent and hadn’t planned ahead,” he said.

“I urge importers to think about their peak season ordering now and avoid pressures later in the year. Don’t take your foot off the pedal.”

International shipping line Maersk says it plans to trial a one-off passage of the Northern Sea Route from the East to West, passing the Bering Strait. The Baltic feeder vessel named Venta Maersk is expected to depart Vladivostok in Russia early next month, sail South to Busan in Korea and then continue the long journey North West to Saint Petersburg, arriving at the end of September.

Venta Maersk is one of a new ice class container vessels of 3600 TEU. It is around 200 metres in length and 35 metres across the beam.

“The specific trial transit route is to be as per agreement with Russian authorities after careful evaluation of ice conditions, and ice breaker assistance will be provided as required,” a Maersk spokesperson said.

“The trial passage will enable us to explore the operational feasibility of container shipping through the Northern Sea Route and to collect data.

“Currently, we do not see the Northern Sea Route as a commercial alternative to our existing network which is defined by our customers’ demand, trading patterns and population centres.”

Melbourne welcomed the container ship OOCL Seoul at Victoria International Container Terminal, Webb Dock this week.

With a dead weight capacity of 105,358 and a TEU container capacity of 8063, it is the largest container ship to visit the Port of Melbourne although that record is expected to be broken next week with the impending arrival of the COSCO Thailand.

Representatives from both the Port of Melbourne and VICT were on hand this week to welcome Captain Lin Rong and his crew.

Australia will be part of an activity known as 'Exercise Bee Prepared' which will test Australia's ability to respond to a varroa mite incursion.

Australian chief plant protection officer, Dr Kim Ritman, said as part of Exercise Bee Prepared, workshops were being held in several jurisdictions.“Varroa mite is a significant honey bee parasite in other countries around the world. It causes colonies to decline, as well as transmits viruses in bees and is one of our most unwanted biosecurity pests,” Dr Ritman said.

“Australia has over 20,000 beekeepers, the honey industry is valued at over $90m a year and bees provide pollination services estimated to be worth $4-6bn per year.

“We are the only continent free of varroa destructor and to provide assurance that the measures we have in place would allow us to effectively respond to and manage a varroa incursion, it is important that we put them to the test.”

Dr Ritman said Exercise Bee Prepared workshops allowed for tailored scenarios being run in each state and territory to help demonstrate preparedness to detect, contain and manage incursion.

“To date, over 160 government and honey bee industry representatives have been through the workshops, which have highlighted areas where we are doing well and where potential improvements can be made,” he said.

“It has been a great opportunity to share information and learn from jurisdictions and experts from the honeybee industry, to ensure Australia has the best possible chance to manage a varroa incursion.”

The workshops are being delivered by Plant Health Australia and are bankrolled by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Workshops have been run in the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The final workshops are to include one in the Northern Territory in mid-September and a Commonwealth workshop at the end of October.

An investigation led by the Australian Border Force (ABF) found a Melbourne-based import business guilty of under evaluating their imported goods of pre-galvanised steel products from a various different countires.

The importer will pay almost $2 million in penalties and recovered Duty and GST after the ABF's Compliance Audits AUnit uncovered a complex and systemic process to falsify documents to conceal the nature of the goods and avoid the payment of Duty and GST between 2014 and 2017.

The investigation culminated with ABF Officers issuing a total of 49 infringement notices. The total value of the infringement penalties was $353,250. In addition, the importer was also required to repay $397,726 in short-paid duty and $1,200,404 in short-paid GST. The total amount to be paid is $1,951,380.

ABF Acting Assistant Commissioner for Port Operations Command, Claire Rees, said the penalties reflected how serious the evasion of revenue was regarded. “At the end of the day importers who don’t pay the correct amount of duty and GST are depriving the Australian economy and ultimately Australian taxpayers,” Rees said.

An investigation began back in June 2018 when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at the Sydney International Mail Gateway facility intercepted three separate consignments from the UK. The first and second package intercepted on 10 and 12 June 2018 respectively, contained approximately 6kgs of ephedrine, concealed in male business shirts. The third package intercepted on 15 June 2018, contained approximately 13.6 kgs of ephedrine, concealed in a packaging of bedsheets.

Following further investigations, ABF officers executed search and seizure warrants at a residential address in Regents Park, NSW on 23 August 2018. During the execution of these warrants, officers allegedly found a small quantity of ephedrine and equipment suspected to be involved in the manufacture of illicit drugs.

It is estimated the amount of ephedrine totalling 25kg seized could have been used to manufacture methamphetamine worth approximately $15 million.

The 29 year old male Chinese national was arrested and charged with three counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled precursor, which carries a maximum penalty for an individual of 25 years’ imprisonment and/or a fine not exceeding $900,000. He was also found to be an unlawful non-citizen. ABF officers also located and detained a female unlawful non-citizen during the warrant, who was taken into immigration detention pending removal from Australia.

ABF Investigations Superintendent Garry Low said shutting down an alleged serial ephedrine importer was a great result for the community. “This investigation and the seizures we’ve made have potentially stopped hundreds of thousands of hits of ice from reaching the streets in New South Wales, and perpetuating misery in the most vulnerable areas of our community,” he said.

TGIF! It's always nice to unwind a bit on a Friday to celebrate surviving the working week. We can't vouch for the humour in these jokes but have a look anyway.

Three girls are sitting together at a bar: a blonde, a brunette and a girl with green hair. A man walks up to them and says "You girls have beautiful hair. Do you dye it?"

The blonde looks at him and runs her hand through her hair saying "it's all natural".

The brunette looks at him and runs her hand through her hair saying "it's all natural".

Finally the green haired girl sneezes into her hand and runs her hand through her hair saying "it's all natural".

Dance like nobody's watching. Because they're not. They're all looking at their phones.

Some people aren't just missing the odd screw. The whole freakin' toolbox is gone.

What do you call a sheep covered in chocolate? A candy baa.

I'm going to order a pizza 5 minutes before the New Year and when they arrive I'll say I ordered this a year ago.