News

Early last year we wrote about the government’s determination to stamp out the use of modern slavery to produce goods that are imported into Australia. This week, the ABC has reported on accusations filed against Australian company Ansell, and major US corporation Kimberly-Clark, that they “knowingly profited” off exploitation when contracting a factory in Malaysia […]

The emergence and rapid spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Asia has changed the risk profile for goods arriving in Australia. While the media has focused on passengers, it must be noted that cargo vessels, along with the consignments and crew they convey, also present potential pathways for the FMD virus. In May […]

Australia’s federal vehicle legislation is currently being overhauled. The existing ‘Motor Vehicle Standards Act (MVSA)’ was written back in 1989, and is in the process of being scrapped and replaced by the Road Vehicle Standards Act (RVSA), as of 01 July 2022. The latest news will be of particular interest to those considering the purchase […]

The Australian Government has announced it will remove tariffs on imports to Australia from Ukraine. The measure, which is part of the package of support announced by the Prime Minister following his visit to Kyiv, follows similar actions by our international partners, such as the European Union and the United Kingdom. Three months ago, we […]

As reported recently, there are thousands of ships and millions of containers currently in circulation around the world. Tracking the location of shipping containers has become necessary and desirable – and now affordable – for shippers, vessel operators and box leasing companies. Thanks to the latest innovations and developments, GPS is becoming more commonly available […]

Reduced disposal timeframes for unclaimed imported goods: ​​From 01 July 2022, the Australian Border Force (ABF) will introduce a shorter holding period for the disposal of imported goods that have not been claimed by the importer, or abandoned at a wharf, airport or depot. ​​Operators holding goods that have not been entered for home consumption […]

In late 2020 we reported that stevedores in Australia had implemented procedures to check the weight of shipping containers, imposing a penalty when they identified discrepancies of plus or minus one tonne (+/- 1t) between the actual and declared weights. They have the authority to do this under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), the […]

Austrade yesterday issued a release titled Insight – Brazil reduces tariffs on over 6,000 goods. They advise that the Executive Committee of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Chamber (GECEX) has issued Resolution No. 353 reducing tariffs on 6,190 products arriving there from 01 June 2022. Reductions will be in place for 18 months until 31 December […]

The recent fire aboard the car carrier vessel Felicity Ace in the Atlantic (pictured above) focused all the stakeholders in the auto shipping industry on the issue of what to do about electric vehicles (EVs) that spontaneously combust while being transported at sea. The cars on the ship burned with such intensity that parts of […]

A whole host of issues, including natural disasters, the Covid pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, have combined into a “perfect storm” that has created a shortage of shipping pallets, both nationally and worldwide. Recently we have been reporting on the various obstacles facing the global supply chain such as the Covid lockdowns in China […]