Alert by the Standard P&i Club
The Standard P&I Club issues Alert regarding the flight season of the Asian Gypsy Moth.
Infestation by Asian gypsy moth (AGM) can pose a serious threat to ships trading from ports in Far East Russia, Japan, Korea and northern China, especially during June to September – and many port authorities are on guard against the menace all year round.
The flight season of the Asian Gypsy Moth is nearly upon us and, for vessels operating in Asia, AGMs may be a reason for detention and delay when they arrive at foreign ports outside of the AGM’s native area.
AGMs are attracted by a ship’s lights and female AGMs often fly onboard and lay eggs on a ship’s upper deck fittings/superstructure. These eggs may have been laid in difficult to access areas and are therefore hard to spot.
If a ship is operating from one of the infestation areas during flight season, they are at risk of an AGM infestation.
| Flight season & Infestation areas |
|
August & September
June & July
June to September
|
Port state control in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia (to name but a few) are vigilant to the risks posed by vessels which have recently come from infestation areas and will conduct inspections in order to reduce these risks.
Typically, vessels found with an AGM infestation onboard are ordered out of territorial waters for remedial cleaning and treatment, resulting in significant delays and disruption to its trading pattern.
Source: The Standard P&I Club
