Vehicles have started to be unloaded from the stink bug-affected Tokyo Car currently berthed at the Ports of Auckland.
“We have commenced a deck-by-deck controlled discharge of the Tokyo Car. We have asked initially for 11 vehicles to be discharged for heat treatment,” a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) spokesperson told AutoTalk.
However, getting the vehicles off could take several weeks given the limited number of vehicles that can be heat treated every day.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson told AutoTalk the Sepang Express has returned for repeat fogging and currently sits at anchor awaiting treatment, while the Glovis Caravel left New Zealand waters at MPI’s direction yesterday after more stink bugs were discovered on board.
The MPI spokesman says the organisation believes those associated with importing goods are ultimately responsible for ongoing costs associated with the delays.
“New Zealand’s biosecurity rules state that imported vehicles and machinery must arrive free of contaminants.”
Shipping company Armacup has been contacted for comment regarding the status of its vessel, the Tokyo Car
