We are being asked whether pallets can be treated specifically for the prevention of the Zika Virus- a growing problem in some parts of the Far East. For anyone interested here is PalletLink’s take on the current rules:

“Ships will be required to carry out mosquito destruction fumigation in ships holds and/or shipping containers prior to arrival and shipping agents will need to provide a Disinfection Certificate (China) or Self-Disinfection Certificate (Korea) or goods arriving from the 40 countries/territories currently identified as infected by the Zika Virus.

Ships that have called at one of the listed countries prior to arrival in China/Korea within the previous 14 days are to submit the appropriate certificate prior to arrival…”

In a nutshell, it is not the wood packaging that needs treating- it is the ship’s hold and all of it’s cargo. the Shipping Company therefore needs to produce the relevant certification.

(we should add that the current situation is open to interpretation and so please note PalletLink’s disclaimer that this is not case specific advice and as such no liability for loss or damage arising out of this information can be accepted.)