News

DIBP-ABF (Australian Border Force) have warned Australian importers, exporters and agents about an alarming rise in the number of counterfeit containers turning up at our ports and warehouses. A counterfeit shipping container (also known as a fake, cloned or re-birthed container) is a container that has had its unique identifier erased from its exterior and […]

The centrepiece was 500 kilograms of cocaine seized on Christmas Day as part of the ABF’s supporting role in Operation Okesi, a long-running Australian Federal Police and NSW Police investigation. However, the ABF made another 13 significant illicit drug detections totalling about 65kg during the festive season. The perception among the criminal underworld may be […]

White spot disease has hit five farms near the Logan River in Queensland’s southeast, and has been detected in wild prawns in the river itself. The main cause of the outbreak is imported green prawns, sold for ‘human consumption,’ being used as bait. Criminal charges are likely to be laid against at least one prawn […]

Why the review is being conducted: Under the Legislation Act 2003, legislative instruments made prior to 1995 will automatically be repealed on 1 October 2018, unless a replacement instrument is made to ensure continuity of the law, before the relevant instrument sunsets. This applies to the Regulations. The Department considers that the Regulations are still […]

Australia’s first-ever shipment of fresh lychees into the United States has landed successfully, just in time for the pre-Christmas rush. To make the Air New Zealand flight to Los Angeles, , the lychees had to go from far north Queensland, where they were picked and packed, to Brisbane to be treated and tested against strict […]

Customs have now issued advice about what discrepancies can be accepted on a Certificate Of Origin (COO) for the purpose of claiming preferential duty rates under the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA). Their position is now that preference CANNOT be claimed and duty has to be paid if the HS Code on the ChAFTA […]

‘Ocean Alliance,’ formed by China’s COSCO Shipping, France’s CMA CGM, Taiwan’s Evergreen Line and Hong Kong’s OOCL, announced last month that it will deploy 350 container vessels to the global market to challenge the other newly formed carrier alliances. ‘2M,’ formed by Denmark’s Maersk Line and Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping, now controls more than 2.1 million […]

A clean-up had to be undertaken after wild storms bearing hail and damaging wind gusts battered south-east Queensland on Sunday 13th November, with more than 100 shipping containers tossed around at the Port of Brisbane. Gusts at Brisbane Airport peaked at 157km/h, the strongest since 1985 and as powerful as a category 2 cyclone. Hail […]

From 1 July 2017, the law will require overseas vendors, electronic distribution platforms and goods forwarders to account for GST on sales of low value goods to consumers in Australia if they have GST turnover of $75,000 or more. The intention is that low value goods imported by consumers in Australia will face equivalent GST […]

JAPAN The three major Japanese shipping lines, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) have agreed to establish a new company by integrating their container line and terminal businesses. The joint venture will be established on 1st July 2017 and the new scheduled services will be fully […]