Listed are some precautions for importing heavy machinery and agricultural equipment into Australia.
Our OTS Plus warehouse holds an Australian Quarantine Inspection Services Accredited (AQIS)
What to consider when “Shipping Heavy Machinery & Agricultural Equipment into Australia”
• Before considering importing any type of heavy machinery or agricultural machinery into Australia you must consider the quarantine requirements. Australia has one of the strictest cleanliness requirements in the world.
• If machinery has air conditioning there are restrictions on importing certain types of gases into Australia.
• Any machinery with air conditioning will need to have them degassed and decommissioned prior to export.
• Failure to do so will incur in expensive per-charged equipment on arrival.
• If your machinery is not cleaned to AQIS standards (Australian Quarantine Inspection Services Accredited) they have the power to re-export contaminated machinery from Australia at your expense.
• When shipping heavy machinery, careful planning is essential to protect the equipment and meet regulatory requirements.
• Heavy machinery requires special road permits if the dimensions or weights exceed specific limits set by government agencies.
There are essentially 3 options when shipping heavy machinery & equipment:
1. Roll- on Roll- off Freight Containers (RoRo)
The RoRo transport method is a “Roll-On and Roll-Off “ built-in ramp which is designed for essentially wheeled cargo, this process allows the cargo to be wheeled on and off the ramp and then on to the vessel, these ramps are strapped and secured to the vessel. Not all destinations will have a RoRo service available. The “Roll On and Roll Off” freight container method can sometimes be impractical and is the most expensive means of international transportation and haulage of heavy machinery.
2. Standard Freight Containers
This is the most popular method and most economical, there can be a huge saving to cut costs particularly if you can partially dismantle the equipment to fit into a 20 or 40 container.
3. Flat Rack Freight Containers – fixed-end or collapsible-end.
Flat Rack Ocean Freight Containers are suitable for the transportation of heavy machinery which is “Out of Gauge” (an industry term) Machinery can be shipped on a flat rack and will be charged by the cubic meter or cubic feet. This is a very expensive means of delivery and may not be possible for some ocean liner carriers.
Quarantine and Fumigation Wash Bays Facility On-Site for Heavy Machinery including Tractors, Bobcats & Excavators.
All importing machinery which is permitted entry into Australia must meet the Department of Agriculture’s acceptable cleanliness standards. Machinery must be free from any bio security risk materials which include soil, seeds, plant and animal material. OTS Plus bond warehousing (A Division of a. hartrodt) provides a wash bay facility for heavy machinery entering Australia.
To find out more information about “Heavy Machinery International shipping and Australian Quarantine Inspection Services Accredited call Cinzia Sangalli on +61 (0) 418 371 778