Imad Kassir

The ocean bill of lading serves as both a contract for carriage and a document of title for the cargo. The bill of lading identifies the parties on both ends of the shipment, as well as a description of the goods and routing instructions.

An ocean bill of lading should include:

• The name and contact information for the exporter, the ultimate consignee, forwarding agent and the notify parties.
• Vessel, booking and loading instructions for the international carriage of the goods.
• A description of the goods, including their weight and dimensions, the number and kinds of packages, any marks and numbers on those packages, and whether any of the goods are hazardous.
• Freight rates and charges.

Customs brokers are private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assist importers and exporters in meeting federal requirements governing imports and exports.

ECCNs (Export Control Classification Numbers) are five-character alpha-numeric designations (e.g., 1A001) published on the Commerce Control List (CCL) to identify dual-use items for export control purposes. Dual-use items are products that have a commercial use, but also have the potential to be used in military applications.

An ECCN categorizes items based on the nature of the product, i.e., type of commodity, software or technology and its respective technical parameters. ECCNs are administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

This is an abbreviation for The International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures Number 15 which is a standard that covers the treatment of wood based materials.

As part of this standard wood based containers used in shipping are covered such as pallets, stands and crates. If the thickness of the wooden material is more than 6mm, treatment is required to prevent the spread of any pests or disease. This involves the removal of bark, heating and fumigating. Once completed a stamp or brand is applied to indicate that this has been carried out to the ISPM15 requirements.

The Customs Value of goods imported into Australia is the total value of the goods as determined by the importer’s commercial invoice as well as any applicable Customs duties, costs, transport costs and taxes. These additions are known as the taxable importation (VoTI) and brings the cost of goods inline with the Australian currency purchase price.

If Australian Customs determine that the value of the goods shown on the commercial invoice is understated the Customs value will be modified accordingly.