Container Watch November 2007 - Biosecurity New Zealand

Snake safety
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A SNAKE DURING AN INSPECTION OR
DEVANNING?
The risk of fi nding a snake is extremely low. In fact you may have more
chance of winning Lotto.
Snakes can be venomous and are a potential danger to humans. Equally
signifi cant is their threat to small mammals and New Zealand’s native bird
life.
KNOW WHAT TO DO
Being prepared is important. In the unlikely event that you encounter a snake,
it is important to know how to manage the situation.
Snakes are more active in higher temperatures. They do not seek human
contact and will generally move away looking for shelter and small confi ned
spaces.
• Remain calm
• Avoid movement if the snake is close to you. Remember that some
snakes can spit.
• Throw a cover over the snake. Use a soft item of clothing like a
jacket. This will make the snake feel secure and provides it with a
hiding place.
• Contain the area to prevent escape. Close up the container as soon
as possible.
• Put a lock or seal on it.
• Stop others from approaching. If the snake has escaped under the
container, create a 3-metre exclusion zone.
• Immediately telephone 0800 809 966 Disease and Pest Hotline
and report your fi nd. A snake catcher will be dispatched.
• Trained venomous snake handlers are located throughout New
Zealand. They have specialist equipment, some knowledge of snake
behaviour and practical handling experience learnt in Australia.
Continued on page 2..
CONTAINER
WATCH
AP of the month
ISSUE 8 • NOVEMBER 2007
Congratulations to AP Clinton Farrell from Kong’s NZ, who recently alerted
MAFBNZ staff to a potential biosecurity risk item.
The container was picked up from the Tauranga wharf in the dark and
pouring rain, and so the build-up of small seeds on the container was
missed by the driver.
The container then travelled a short distance to the site in Greerton, where
Clinton noticed the contamination and called MAFBNZ immediately.
MAFBNZ staff then advised cleaning up the exterior contamination,
and placing sweepings in a MAFBNZ bin (these were later destroyed by
MAFBNZ offi cers).
A check of the inside of the container revealed that the contamination
was on the exterior of the container only.
Congratulations to Clinton for being vigilant during devan!
know what to look for secure the area to your Facility Operator
or call 0800 80 99 66

Have you seen?
Formosan subterranean termite
Coptotermes formosanus
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
Formosan subterranean termites are about 6.4mm long. The soldiers
have orange-brown, oval-shaped heads with large prominent jaws
with whitish-brown bodies, and workers are a shiny white. Formosan
termites will fi ll hollow spaces, or even wall voids, with a combination
of termite excrement, macerated wood, saliva and soil. This material,
called carton, can be used by the Formosan termite to form nest-like
structures, and is unique to the Formosan termites.
WHERE ARE THEY FROM?
Formosan subterranean termites are native to China but they have
spread worldwide within the latitudes 0-37 degrees north and south
of the equator. Populations of concern to New Zealand are in Japan,
Southern USA, South Africa, South East Asia and Hawaii.
WHY ARE THEY A THREAT?
Formosan subterranean termites are very aggressive and will outcompete
native species of termites and ants with ease. They feed
on wood and other materials that contain cellulose, such as paper
and cardboard. As long as there is a food source, they will nest and
gradually destroy wooden structures. In North America it is estimated
Formosan subterranean termites cost $1 billion in preventative
measures and damage control.
HOW DO THEY TRAVEL?
Formosan subterranean termites travel in wooden structures - for
example, packaging materials, gardening materials and infested
boats. Formosan termites have been known to arrive in nests in
shipping containers (into Australia from Asia).
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Check all wooden packaging material for signs of termites.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
Spray the colony, if possible with aerosol pest spray, close up the
container, and call MAFBNZ on 0800 80 99 66.
Snake safety
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES:
• Attempt catching a snake, or
• Run around attacking it with a weapon.
Leave the snake’s capture to a trained person.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A SNAKE BITE
If bitten – stay calm, as still as possible and follow out the pressureimmobilisation
method below.
Venom travels from the bite site via the lymphatic system – surface
pressure on the limb occludes lymphatic vessels, while immobilisation
further inhibits lymphatic fl ow by stopping the muscle-pump transport
system, so preventing venom from entering the circulation.
The pressure-immobilisation technique is vital and must be carried out
immediately.
PRESSURE-IMMOBILISATION FIRST AID
It is very important that the patient is not moved. The bitten limb
especially should remain as still as possible throughout this procedure.
• Remove any rings, bracelets, etc from the bitten limb and do not
clean the wound.
• A broad compression bandage (clothing strips or pantihose will
suffi ce in an emergency) should be applied over the bitten area
about as fi rmly as that used for a sprained ankle.
• If clothing cannot be cut from a bitten limb then a compression
bandage should be applied over the clothing – rather than move the
limb.
• A second bandage should then be applied, starting from the tip of
the limb (fi ngers or toes) and heading toward the body, as fi rmly as
used for a sprained ankle. Crepe bandages are ideal for this
purpose, but strips of clothing or towels may be used.
• Immobilise the arm or leg with a splint and then bandage the split
to the limb to prevent movement. Ensure the patient is told not to
move at all.
• Transport to hospital (preferably by ambulance). Transport should be
brought to the patient to prevent movement. If this cannot be done,
the patient should be carried rather than walk.
• Do not give alcohol, fl uid or food by mouth.
• Contact should be made with the National Poisons Centre (0800
764 766) who have access to the National Antidote Database.
Publicised techniques such as tourniquets, cut-and-suck and electric
shock should NOT be attempted.
It is important to try to trap the snake, as defi nitive identifi cation is often
vital to anti-venom choice.
Acknowledgements: Tom Rawdon, Exotic Disease Investigator, National
Centre for Disease Investigation and Dr John Fountain, Toxicologist,
University of Otago, for his review.

Don’t try to catch the snake yourself... leave it to the experts!
Industry & MAF working together
for a better biosecurity system
In 2006, MAF set up the EQ2 trial container management system in
conjunction with Swire Shipping to reduce the biosecurity risks associated
with the company’s imported containers.
The programme focussed on containers from Port Moresby and Lae in Papua
New Guinea, and Honiara in the Solomon Islands, because 50% of containers
coming into New Zealand were soiled with general contaminants, and 17%
had invasive ants.
Containers were cleaned and stored at their home port in a way consistent
with MAF Quarantine (now MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ)) border
standards, for example treating containers and storing them in hygienic
conditions to deter pests establishing.
As a result of implementing the EQ2 programme, contamination rates were
reduced substantially.
MAFBNZ is currently working to help other shipping companies adopt the
same programme, with containers from American and Western Samoa and
Tonga.
Watch this space for more updates.
Otago eyes South Island crown
Port Otago Ltd, which controls the ports of Dunedin and Port Chalmers, is
making a bid for container supremacy on New Zealand’s South Island by
enlarging the Otago Harbour channel and redeveloping the container terminal
to accommodate 6,000 TEU ships.
Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket likened the proposal in importance
to the selection of Port Chalmers as a container port in 1976 and said it
would prepare the port for the next 30 to 50 years...
Where do old containers go to
die?
Where do old containers go to die? Well some obviously go to an “after-life”
as buildings; how about this fl ash offi ce in Boston built from ten 40-footers.
There are a vast number of stored spare containers in the United States, at
present, because the cost of shipping a container back to China is about
the same as buying a new one (in China). They are even being considered
for housing in Afghanistan as the country recovers from war.
Old reefers cause headache in
California
Environmental lobbying groups in California have declared war on the tens
of thousands of obsolete reefer containers that are piled high in storage
yards throughout the state.
According to a report in Los Angeles City Beat (LACB) magazine, the Port
of Los Angeles received a half million more containers than it sent out last
year and environmentalists and some regulators are concerned that among
the unsightly six and seven-high container stacks that have built up in long
term storage, well-worn reefer units may be “hissing chemicals that can
cause skin cancer and global warming into the air”.
China to top 100M TEU
China’s ports are expected to handle a record 108M TEU this year, making
it the fi rst country to pass the 100M TEU mark.
Figures released by the Ministry of Communications show the country’s
ports handled 71.97M TEU in the fi rst eight months of this year, up 23.1%
over the same period last year....
By comparison, New Zealand ports handled about 750,000 TEU in 2006,
0.75% of the Chinese turnover.

Container Breakdown: 2007
INCOMING CONTAINERS
What are the trends?
New Zealand has had a period of strong economic growth and this is
mirrored in the graph of imported containers between July 2002 and
May 2007. As the consumer society got up a head of steam, the packed
import number rose by 40% by January 2006. The numbers have
stabilised since, but this does not take into account a strong trend to
use 40-foot containers, so the import volume continues to rise. This has
settled down and predictions are now for an approximately 7% annual
increase in numbers. The number of empty container brought in to
take export trade does not share this trend because many of the packed
imports are re-hired for export cargo.
EMPTIES VS LOADED
There is an interesting pattern of loaded vs empty containers shown for
the 2006/07 fi nancial year. There is a similar ratio of loaded to empty
containers arriving in Auckland and Christchurch, both cities having a
large consumer base, but relatively small export component. But, ports
of Nelson, New Plymouth, Napier and Dunedin all service large primary
production regions and receive a high proportion of empty containers to
take local exports. Most primary production north of Wellington leaves via
east coast ports, so few empties go there.
WHERE ARE LOADED CONTAINERS COMING FROM?
Australian ports are by far the largest source of incoming loaded
containers, in fact the Austro-Asian region ports account for 75% of
the movements. Despite its huge area, the pacifi c island region, with
its small and widespread population only generates 1% of the incoming
loaded containers. However, many of the major Asian hub ports act as
transhipment points and much of the, apparently, low American and
European trade may be arriving by indirect shipping routes.
Contacts
Call 0800 80 99 66 if live organisms are found (including snails, ants or
fl ying insects).
Call 0800 22 20 18 for other container and facility related enquiries.
Fax container log sheets to: 09 909 8556
Call 07 927 5712 for accredited person certifi cate enquiries.
Call 09 927 5712 for problems with on-line inspection (log sheet) reporting.
atf.maf.govt.nz On-line container inspection (log sheet) reporting.
www.biosecurity.govt.nz/border/transitional-facilities/sea-containers/ Sea
Container home
Do you have any comments about Container Watch or stories to share?
Email us at: containerwatch@maf.govt.nz
1. Container arrival trends over the last fi ve years
2. The mix of empty and loaded containers at New Zealand ports over 2006/07
3. The shipping point of loaded containers arriving in New Zealand
New address for the Requirements of Transitional Facilities
for Sea Containers Standard
Persons or organisations wishing to have their facility approved as a sea
container transitional facility and to register as the operator must now apply
to:
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
Transitional Facility and Operator Applications
PO Box 2526
Auckland Airport
AUCKLAND
For general enquiries relating to the clearance of sea containers, approval
of transitional facilities or accredited persons the contact details remain the
same:
Telephone: 0800 222 018 or email seacontainer@maf.govt.nz