News

Last week the Office of Transport Security (OTS) presented the Exposure Draft of the Aviation Transport Security Amendment (Cargo) Regulation 2016 and highlighted several important items of impending change to air cargo security programs, particularly in regard to the new ‘Known Consignor’ (KC) scheme and piece-level screening for US bound air cargo. The Regulations, once […]

The expansion mainly consists of two new locks, each with three slots.  The newly expanded locks are meant to double the canal’s capacity.  They were initially scheduled to open in 2014, on the canal’s 100th anniversary.  The Panama Canal operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 35 to 40 ships are expected […]

Importers of timber and wood-based products need to be aware of two notices issued by DOA. The first is 1/2016 – “Extension of the illegal logging ‘soft-start’ compliance period;” The second is 2/2016 – “Re-endorsement of PEFC Russian National Forest Certification Scheme.” Notice 1/2016 (In brief) Importers of timber and wood-based products into Australia and […]

Commercial arrangements covering the sale and importation of goods are many and varied, with a lot of importers these days buying under ‘delivery duty paid’ (DDP) terms. The contract of sale will generally set out the responsibilities of each party to the commercial transaction, and usually identifies the person who is responsible for paying duties […]

From 1 July 2016 a packed container should not be loaded onto a ship unless the master or his representative and the terminal representative have obtained, in advance of vessel loading, the verified gross mass (VGM) of the container.  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING THE VGM? The shipper is responsible for obtaining and documenting the […]

Importantly, this information and the ATO advice to Shipping Lines and their local Australian Agents, should help to ensure that no GST is applied to port handling services inside the terminal precinct. The ATO accepts that international air and shipping lines should use their contracts for international carriage (i.e. Airway Bills and Bills of Lading, […]

Freight forwarders have received advice from the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), adopting a recommendation from the Air Navigation Commission, which places an interim prohibition on the carriage of lithium-ion batteries from being shipped as cargo on passenger aircraft, effective April 1, 2016. Lithium metal batteries, which are used in watches, have already been banned […]

The following information has been provided by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and is forwarded for your information. “In order to ensure import duty concessions for manufacturing inputs are efficient and effective, the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science is conducting an evaluation of the following items from Schedule 4 of the Customs […]

Border protection issues are high on the shared agenda for both nations in upcoming meetings, with a focus on cross and joint operations and data sharing. This includes tackling maritime security and transnational crime such as drug trafficking, firearms movements, and illegal fishing. The two nations already host an annual bilateral meeting at which senior […]

In our news item of 15 Nov 2015, we reported that goods originating in China and shipped via Hong Kong may not qualify for Chinese origin under the new ChFTA. However the latest advice from the DIBP is that goods will be admissable under the agreement if they remain under customs control while passing through […]