The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has confirmed the Triumph v1820 has been sent back to China and will not continue its Australian-New Zealand voyage as planned.
Armacup Maritime Services has also announced the cancellation of a second ship, the Lake Como, to Australia and New Zealand following stink bug biosecurity risks.
Minister David Littleproud has stated this afternoon the ship was directed to leave Australian waters because “the vessel contained brown marmorated stink bugs and other stink bugs and could have decimated our $12 billion horticultural industry.”
“Australia is extremely lucky to be relatively isolated by sea, which helps us keep pests and diseases out,” Littleproud says.
“Department of Agriculture inspections found more than a hundred brown marmorated stink bugs and other bugs on the Triumph, which indicates a live population on the boat,” he reveals.
“These bugs eat everything from tomatoes to apples and broccoli to beans. They also gather in people’s houses and stink to high heaven,” the minister explains.
Littleproud says the risk was “unacceptable”.
“We directed the vessel to leave our waters, which it now has. I thank the shipping line and operator for openly cooperating with us on the issue,” he adds.
The Federal Department of Agriculture says it has put “heightened surveillance for cargo vessels and additional pre-arrival reporting in place across extra exporting countries and goods this BMSB season.”
Over 300 plant species are accustomed to the stink bug palate, and the critters can cause allergic reactions and decimate crops – the effects of which are now being felt across Europe as the pest spreads through western Asia.
Armacup says in a statement it is working on possible alternatives for affected cargoes abroad the Lake Como v1862 which has also been confirmed as turned away.
It follows the cancellation of Triumph v1820 last week after detection of brown marmorated stink bugs by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
The Triumph was anchored off Port Kembla carrying vehicle cargo from China, Korea and Japan.
It was sent back to Asia after officials determined bio security risks associated with the non-compliant cargoes remained too high to allow a previously agreed controlled discharge plan to take place.
More information will be provided when available, Armacup says.
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