The High Temperature treatment is compulsory for all cargo from Italy via sea going to Australia, to avoid unknowingly transporting the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug – considered a threat to Australian agriculture
The BMSB Heat Treatment is mandatory for cargo shipped between September 1st and April 30th to Australia and New Zealand. Last Monday, August 27th, Contship’s La Spezia Container Terminal was whitelisted by the Australian Dept. of Agriculture and Water Resources, to become the first authorized and certified port in Europe to conduct HT treatments on containers arriving from Italy, Germany, France, USA, Russia, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Georgia.
Requests for HT treatments will come directly from La Spezia customs and the procedure will follow the Heat Treatment Methodology issued by the Australian Dept. of Agriculture and Water Resources, including a final re-sealing of the container along with issuing a treatment certification. Each certification will contain a unique AEI code (AQIS Entity Identifier) that will distinguish the authorized operator.
Treatment can be conducted on containers reaching the terminal by both rail and road from September 1st. In 2017 LSCT handled almost 25,500 TEUs shipped to Australia and New Zealand of which 88% was for Australia.
On the Economic side, in the first half of 2018 trade between Italy and Australia/New Zealand grew almost 6.5% compared to the same period of 2017 and is worth €1.6 billion.
The same treatment is also available at Contship Italia’s inland terminal in Melzo (Rail Hub Milano) which connects the main markets of Northern Italy, Central and Southern Europe with the gateway ports of the North Tyrrhenian Sea (La Spezia and Genoa), North Adriatic Sea (Ravenna) and commencing from 2019, also with Gioia Tauro where a new Rail Gateway is under construction. In Melzo, the service is provided by specialized companies certified by the Australian Ministry that, together with Hannibal can offer exporters the possibility of carrying out the treatment before loading on to rail or truck for transport to the loading port.
With this new service offering, La Spezia Container Terminal strengthens its commitment to make cargo flows more competitive, helping Italian exporters and significantly contributing to the nation’s GDP trend.
To know more about the HT procedure or to find out more about Contship La Spezia Connectivity, click the links below:
