As per notice from the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and New Zealand MPI, all cargo shipping from the United States to or via Australia and New Zealand will need to be compliant with fumigation regulations against the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB).

 

 

 

If you ship goods to Oceania, then you may need to find more information on your cargo requirements online on the following websites:

However, the most important that you must know is that these days, any cargo transported from the USA to Australia and New Zealand must be fumigated. A copy of the fumigation certificate must be provided to the ocean freight carrier to obtain the cargo release to international transportation from the USA. The original fumigation certificate must prove the cargo fumigation at the destination.

 

Do not confuse ISPM15 wood-packing regulations in international cargo transportation with the fumigation requirements on cargo shipping from the USA to Australia and New Zealand.

 

Even though different countries in the world are more or less restricted in shipping wood-packed cargo, the ISPM15 rules apply to all freight shipping out of the United States, regardless of country of destination.

 

Unlike ISPM15, the fumigation regulations mostly relate to shipping goods to Oceania, particularly to cargo transportation to Australia and New Zealand. In our days, the fumigation of cargo shipping from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand became mandatory. International carriers cannot anymore count on loyalty from the side of officials in Australia and New Zealand. As a result, all ocean freight carriers have sharply tightened the requirements associated with cargo shipping fumigation from the United States to Oceania. Now, all carriers require fumigation of cargo shipping from the USA to Australia and New Zealand. If the fumigation certificate is not presented accordingly, then the related booked shipment will not be loaded. Compliance with all requirements is the responsibility of the shipper.

 

 

 

To avoid problems related to shipping freight from the USA to Oceania, cargo consolidators began to fumigate cargo at their freight terminals (CFSs). Typically they charge for the fumigation $30 w/m with a minimum of $100-300 per shipment, depending on the carrier.
 
Otherwise, international shippers may fumigate shipping goods on their own. Then they have to provide a copy of the fumigation certificate before the cargo is delivered to the CFS. However, at the destination, cargo recipients will need to furnish the original fumigation certificate.
 
Keep in mind that if the destination country’s officials consider the certificate not valid, then enormous penalties and charges will apply, including expenses on fumigation itself, storage, cargo handling, etc. The cost may easily exceed $US1000. Cargo return back to the USA or cargo destruction will lead to significant expenses as well.

 

If you ship goods from the USA to Australia or New Zealand, then we strongly suggest utilizing carriers’ fumigation services and paying for the fumigation directly to the carrier which is scheduled for your international shipment. In this case, the carrier will include fumigation charges into their rated bill of lading's freight charges breakdown. If any problems related to the fumigation occur, the carrier is held responsible for the fumigation. However, so far, in our practice, cargo fumigated by carriers and shipped to Australia or New Zealand has never experienced problems related to fumigation.   
 
In our days, if you ship freight to Oceania, you should always keep in mind these Australian and New Zealand fumigation regulations and be prepared to pay the related fees.

 

Below is just a sample of correspondence on cargo shipped to Australia. The shipper was unable to provide a valid fumigation certificate at the destination.