Sea Container Auditing Guidelines

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) has been conducting level 1 (baseline) sea container audits since 2005. This has been to:

• Establish and monitor biosecurity contamination rates associated with imported sea containers
• Evaluate the effectiveness of intervention measures in place
• Provide information for more accurate container risk profiling
• Provide a further incentive for compliance with the intervention measures in place

The auditing process is described in the MAFBNZ Import Health Standard ‘Requirements for the Audit of Sea Containers’

Key points about the audit process:

• 1% of all containerised cargo consignments will be selected for audit on a random basis. This is the level 1 baseline audit level
• Level 1 baseline audits are funded by the Sea Container Levy
• The audit will check documentation, external and internal cleanliness, wood packaging, manifested cargo and a basic observation of Transitional Facility and Accredited Person performance
• The Risk Screening Team, located at the Auckland Biosecurity Centre will coordinate audit activities. This is where all paperwork must be sent to initiate the audit process
• Physical inspections (external and internal) may be completed at the port of arrival or at the Transitional Facility where the container is to be unpacked. This will be specified on your BACC
• Audit failure will result in enhanced auditing as specified in the Import Health Standard
• Enhanced auditing will be cost recovered by MAFBNZ.

Selection for Audit:

After submitting an entry to NZ Customs, declarants whose containers are selected for auditing will receive the message MAF AUDIT in the CUSRES response.

The message INTERNAL and EXTERNAL may also be appended but in all instances the declarant must take action to initiate the audit process.

MAFBNZ has asked port companies to hold on-wharf all containers that receive the MAF AUDIT message.

Declarants receiving the MAF AUDIT message should immediately submit to the Risk Screening Team

• BACC application form
• A copy of the container Quarantine Declaration
• Bill of Lading
• Commercial documentation (i.e. invoice) describing the cargo in the consignment
• Any other documentation or certification relating to the clearance of the consignment

The declarant should use the NZ Customs Import Entry Number on the BACC application. The words MAF AUDIT should also be prominently written on the BACC application coversheet.

Documentation Audit:

MAFBNZ will audit the documentation provided against the import entry to ensure that:

• The goods, if of biosecurity concern, have been identified by the ESCRIP process
• The Quarantine Declaration (if present) is complying and that the answers on it have been transferred properly into the import entry
• An approved (and current) Transitional Facility has been selected for unpacking the container

MAFBNZ will issue a BACC directing further action. This BACC will be sent to whoever submits the documentation to MAFBNZ.

A copy of the BACC should be sent to the Transitional Facility at which the container is to be unpacked.

External and Internal Audit Inspections

Inspections will be carried out by a MAF Biosecurity Inspector.

Containers that are subject to these inspections may not be opened and unpacked unless a MAFBNZ Inspector is present.

The BACC will clearly state this.

The MAFBNZ Inspector will:

• Inspect the external surfaces (4 sides) of the container
• Check that the general nature of the goods matches the documented description
• Check for the presence of wood packaging and its biosecurity risk status
• Check the internal cleanliness of the container

Sea Container Logsheets will not need to be submitted for containers that have had a MAFBNZ supervised unpacking. Retention of the BACC in the facility records will be adequate to satisfy MAFBNZ Transitional Facility auditors.

Audit Failure

Failure at any stage in a baseline audit will result in MAFBNZ taking appropriate steps to deal with any immediate biosecurity risk.

Steps may include voiding a Quarantine Declaration or inspecting all containers in a consignment.

Audit failure will result in either the declarant (documentation) or the exporter (physical inspections) being placed on a level 2, 100% enhanced audit regime for their next 5 consignments or for a period of 1 year (whichever comes first).

This is described in the MAFBNZ Import Health Standard ‘Requirements for the Audit of Sea Containers’ and includes information about enhanced auditing and charging regimes.

Audit failure may result in increased delays, MAFBNZ intervention and additional MAFBNZ charges.

MAFBNZ therefore recommends that importers and their representatives become familiar with the MAFBNZ Import Health Standard.

Contact Us:

Risk Screening Team
Auckland Biosecurity Centre