Insect Infested Ship Gets Kicked out of U.S.
Cargo Ship Infested with Invasive Species Told to Leave
Invasive insects were found on board the Panama-flagged bulk carrier, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered the vessel to leave the U.S. immediately.
The M/V Pan Jasmine had arrived down the river from New Orleans on July 17th, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The red flags were initially raised by conducting an inspection of the vessel after it was revealed that “dunnage”, a prior cargo of aluminum, was left scatted on the deck, instead of being offloaded in Mexico, were afterwards confirmed upon further inspection. Upon discovering that the plants possessed five different pests, CBP and USDA personnel conducted a more extensive inspection, during which they discovered two additional species (namely Cerambycidae, a type of beetle, and Myrmica, a species of ants) which are known to pose a major agricultural threat to the United States.
