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Extended delays caused by industrial action at major Australian ports last month have almost cleared, but strict biosecurity laws are causing new slowdowns in vehicle arrivals at one top wharf.
A backlog of new cars waiting to enter Australia following industrial action at major ports last month has almost cleared, but there is a new delay affecting at least one location.
Delays caused by biosecurity processing at one major wharf – the Port of Melbourne – have been confirmed by Australia's second-best-selling new-car brand Ford, with some of its vehicles taking longer than expected to be cleared for delivery to customers.
Australia's strict biosecurity processes have caused bottlenecks in new-car deliveries multiple times since 2019 due to the detection of stink bugs and other contaminants upon arrival in Australia – including tens of thousands of cars delayed in early 2023.
"There are delays delivering vehicles via the Port of Melbourne due to biosecurity processes," a Ford Australia spokesperson said.
"Ford is working with Port and Government authorities on a resolution, and thanks its customers for their patience."
The brand signed a three-year lease on a car-carrying vessel in 2023 to ship its Ranger ute – Australia's best-selling vehicle – and Everest four-wheel-drive from Thailand to Australia to avoid logistics and biosecurity delays.
It was designed to prevent Thai-made Fords – which account for 90 per cent of the brand's sales – from being caught up in additional quarantine checks in the event cars from other manufacturers on the same ship are infested.
Ford's other models – sourced from the United States (Mustang, F-150), Mexico (Mustang Mach-E), and Turkey (Transit, Transit Custom, Tourneo) – are freighted to Australia in car-carrying ships alongside vehicles from other brands.
BMW said Australia's strict biosecurity protocols have added "additional time" before its vehicles can be cleared, adding to the delays caused by industrial action at major Australian ports in January.
"The recent disruptions at major ports have led to delays for car-carrying cargo ships waiting to dock at ports across the country," a BMW Australia spokesperson said.
"Adding to this challenge is that once these ships eventually dock, they must undergo the country’s strict customs quarantine protocols – which we fully respect – but are adding additional time before our BMW Group vehicles can be cleared and released.
"We are doing everything in our power to expedite the delivery of vehicles to our customers, including regular communication with the relevant authorities, who are working tirelessly to move things forward."
A Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson said the brand is currently "experiencing slight delivery delays".
"For detailed updates on individual deliveries, customers are encouraged to contact their respective retailers directly," they said.
Drive understands some of the vehicles facing biosecurity processing delays at the Port of Melbourne originated from the United States.
It is understood no Toyota models arriving in Australia have been caught up, while Nissan said none of its vehicles are affected by biosecurity delays, even though the Toyota Kluger, Tundra and Nissan Pathfinder are made in the US.
Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and GWM confirmed none of their vehicles are facing biosecurity processing delays, while new-car delivery delays caused by the industrial action last month, which prevented some vehicles from disembarking, are starting to clear.
A Mazda Australia spokesperson said the brand "is working closely" with port authorities and its logistics company "to minimise the impact to customer deliveries" following last month's strike.
"MG had some delays due to the industrial action at various ports in January. These delays have now been resolved and deliveries are proceeding smoothly," an MG Australia spokesperson said.
Last month, BYD's Australian distributor EVDirect said it had 3000 vehicles waiting to be offloaded due to the industrial action at major ports in Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle, and Port Kembla, including its recently launched BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
