Air freight Ban for Household Goods Shipping to the USA

In response to the thwarted Yemen cargo bombing plot that happened on October, 29 2010 the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quickly enacting new security regulations related to Air Freight cargo shipments.  

Immediately following the discovered plot the US DHS put a ban on all air cargo coming from Yemen. This ban has now been extended to Somalia and cargo being shipped to the US from other high risk countries will undergo enhanced inspection.

Additionally, the DHS has enacted a ban on all “high risk” cargo being shipped into the US via air freight. High risk cargo includes:

• Any shipment described on the Master Air Waybill (MAWB) or the House Air Waybill (HAWB) as ‘household goods’ or ‘personal effects’
• Shipments paid in cash or cashiers check
• Shipments from a company that does not have an preexisting account with the shipper
• Cargo forwarded by a foreign carrier

Since the explosives in the plot were disguised as printer toner cartridges, toner and ink cartridges over 16 ounces are now prohibited on passenger aircraft in both carry-on bags and checked bags on domestic and international flights in-bound to the United States. 

These new regulations are meant as a temporary security measure but the DHS has not said when these measures will be lifted. However, they will be in place for a minimum of 30 days. These enhanced security measures will likely cause substantial delays to shipments, reduce cargo capacity and increase associated costs.