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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Season Update
BMSB Season will once again get under way for all targeted imports shipped between 1st September 2022 to 30th April 2023. The majority of biosecurity measures from last year will roll over to this year, with a few small changes:
- The following countries have been identified as emerging risk countries for the 2022-23 BMSB risk season and may be selected for a random onshore inspection:
- China – random inspections will apply to goods shipped between 1 September to 31 December (inclusive)
- United Kingdom – random inspections will apply to goods shipped between 1 December to 30 April (inclusive)
- In addition to the target high risk goods, goods classified to chapters 39 (plastic articles), 94 (furniture, bedding, lamps, lights and prefabricated buildings) and 95 (toys, games and sporting items) will be subject to random inspections for emerging risk countries only
- Treatment Window extended – The Department of Agriculture has allowed an extension of up to 48 hours of the 120 hour treatment window for offshore treatments in cases where sailings have been delayed, as long as the importer can provide proof of the delays outside this window.
For more information, please review the attached Harders Advisory update and contact our team for treatment options for your cargo.
Industrial Action at the Port of Felixstowe
An eight-day strike at the key Port of Felixstowe, in the United Kingdom, will affect supply chains across Europe and impact dozens of vessels. The strike by around 1,900 workers over wages is expected to severely disrupt trade, delay vessels and force re-routes.
Felixstowe handles half of the containerised freight entering the UK and is a vital artery for trade with Asia. The strike is expected to have a severe impact on supply chains and disrupts almost US$828 million worth of trade, much of it with Asia, according to The Russell Group, an analytics firm.
Product deliveries and supplies for retailers and multiple industries, including automotive, will be affected. According to industry data from, 27 vessels are affected as of Aug. 22 and this number could change in the days ahead.
Peak season raises concerns of congestion on the US East Coast
Ports across the US East Coast are now in the eye of the storm, with import containerized volumes processed in the region mounting higher as the country heads into its peak shipping season. Shippers continue redirecting their shipments away from the US West Coast to the East and Gulf Coast ports.
This transition, albeit slow, has built momentum over the first half of ‘22, shifting congestion out of the West Coast ports to the East and Gulf Coast ports. This transition made sense to shippers at the start of this year, as West Coast ports — especially the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — witnessed over 100 container vessels queuing up in the San Pedro Bay, awaiting berths.
Such extraordinary delays led shippers to move their freight via ports on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, spiking congestion in the region. This is reflected in the number of vessels awaiting berth across the East Coast.
For instance, the port of Savannah, one of the more efficient ports in the US, saw a staggering 750% rise in monthly average of vessels in July from the start of the year — with 34 ships queued this week versus four vessels in January. The situation is expected to remain challenging through to the end of Peak Season at least.
First Sailing On New Trans-Tasman Service
THE new trans-Tasman service ANZ Shuttle has begun its first service this month on the ANL-operated Tacoma Trader. The service operates between Brisbane and Tauranga via a call in Noumea.
In a service update, ANL said the service offers fortnightly sailings from the three ports. The ANZ Shuttle provides additional capacity to support the increasing demand of imported and exported goods and enable the consistent movement of freight to service the Australian and New Zealand market with further transhipment connections in Tauranga,” ANL said.
The 1102-TEU geared containership Tacoma Trader (IMO 9675810) is flagged in Liberia. It is 148 metres in length and is 24 metres long and a welcome addition to provide further capacity to the Trans-Tasman services.