Stink bugs disrupt N.Z.’s imports of Japanese vehicles

February 26, 2018

Sydney- Three vessels carrying automobiles and machinery from Japan were refused entry at New Zealand ports for unloading this month after they were found to be infested with invasive stink bugs, according to New Zealand authorities.

The disruption has raised concern over supply shortages in New Zealand's automotive industry, which depends on shipments from Japan for more than half of vehicle imports.

According to New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries and other sources, the three ships were ordered to leave the country's territorial waters because of the discovery of brown marmorated stink bugs, which are harmful to agricultural products.

The ministry has strengthened its inspections and checked every cargo ship for any risk of the invasion of alien species. A ministry official said Friday that four cargo ships from Japan made port calls in New Zealand the preceding week, unloading new and used vehicles.

The shipment disruption has had a particularly large impact on the used vehicle market of New Zealand amid industry efforts to keep the inventory of secondhand autos to a minimum. The supply chain has effectively been disconnected, an official of an industry group said.

Major Japanese used vehicle exporter Optimus Group Co. has experienced a delay in shipments of some 2,000 vehicles to New Zealand, a company official said.

New Zealand, where right-hand-drive vehicles are the norm, like in Japan, is the second-biggest export market for Japanese used vehicles.

The Oceanian nation imports a total of about 300,000 automobiles annually. According to a local newspaper, monthly imports from Japan stand at some 15,000 units. Jiji Press