[NHCOLL-L:2648] Re: IATA and China
James B. Ladonski
jladonski at fieldmuseum.org
Wed May 11 09:54:45 EDT 2005
Thanks Greg,
This is interesting, as it seems like dealing with these couriers is always
a case of luck. Meaning, the answers you get depend on who you talk
to. In the case of the package our Fishes staff sent to Brazil, our
collection manager spoke with several people at DHL, at several different
management levels, receiving assurances that she had packed and labelled
everything correctly. All this just to have the package stopped halfway to
its destination and returned because it turns out it wasn't acceptable
after all.
My favorite personal experience dealing with the couriers' happened a few
months ago when I called FedEx to schedule pickup of a couple packages, one
to Japan and one to France. The customer service rep said they could not
accept the packages since they contain "dead animals". I even talked to a
person in their legal department and pleaded and tried to argue the case
that these are biological specimens, they are for scientific research,
etc., etc., but I was unsuccessful. The fact that they were hazmat was
not the issue. This all came up because the service rep asked me what was
in the package, and I said "museum specimens for scientific research". She
needed more detailed info, and so I told her "preserved reptiles". She
then said, "oh, I don't think we can ship that" and I was on and off hold
for several minutes while she tried to get an answer. Eventually I talked
to a paralegal who put me on hold while she spoke to one of the lawyers, so
this did come from a position of some authority within FedEx.
There is a prohibition on FedEx's web site against sending dead animals -
click on "Terms and Conditions" on the right side of this page: (
http://www.fedex.com/us/services/intl/priority.html?link=4 ). This opens a
JavaScript window - look at #30, "Prohibited Items". Number 20 under that
section is what they are basing this on, I suppose. Sorry insect folks -
you are singled out!
Now, I realize many of you use FedEx for shipping hazmat (and non-hazmat)
specimens everyday without incident. But my point is simply, beware! You
may find yourself being told the same thing.
Jamie
At 5/11/2005 07:49 AM, Gregory Watkins-Colwell wrote:
>oddly enough, I ship via FedEx to Australia a few times a year. Always
>with the Excepted Quantities sticker on the box. It gets held up on their
>end all the time, but always for different reasons. Once, because the
>recipient institution did not have a permit on file to receive such goods
>(or that was the story at least). And at least once because I did not
>include a letter stating the chemical history of the specimens. They
>wanted to know not just what they were in NOW, but what they had been in
>BEFORE. Just recently it was held up on their end because the ship-to
>address was wrong. The reason it was wrong is that I had to use an older
>address for Western Australian Museum because FedEx would not accept the
>Post Code for the new address.
>
>Point is, wet specimens packed appropriately and labelled honestly did in
>fact get into Australia. It took a while. But it did happen.
>
>
>greg
>
>At 02:16 PM 5/10/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>>Hi everyone,
>>
>>One of the folks in our Division of Insects was just told of similar
>>limitations by personnel from both FedEx and UPS. He was told both
>>companies consider excepted quantities packages to be no different from
>>other dangerous goods packages in terms of acceptability for
>>shipment. Both companies also said that numerous countries will not
>>accept any dangerous goods packages (including excepted quantities) under
>>any circumstances. They were clear that these restrictions are
>>instituted by the countries themselves, not the couriers. According to
>>FedEx and UPS staff, included among these countries are Mexico, Czech
>>Republic, Guatemala, Australia, and New Zealand. FedEx does not publish
>>a list of countries that will accept dangerous goods shipments, but UPS
>>does (
>>http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/idg/information/country.html
>>).
>>
>>As Greg asked, has anyone else been told similar things? I thought these
>>limitations were those of the couriers, not the countries. DHL has a
>>similar list of countries that will accept excepted quantities packages,
>>and while it is slightly larger than the UPS list, it is still very
>>restrictive. Staff in our Division of Fishes tried sending an excepted
>>quantities package to Brazil, only to have it returned after getting as
>>far as Miami because Brazil is not on DHL's list. Likewise, there are no
>>Central or South American countries on the UPS list.
>>
>>Have any of you had shipments to specific countries returned (or worse)
>>because the countries will not accept dangerous goods packages?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Jamie
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>At 5/9/2005 01:42 PM, Gregory Watkins-Colwell wrote:
>>>Does anyone know if China accepts packages of "hazardous materials" if
>>>packaged in accordance with IATA regulations?
>>>
>>>Turns out that some countries do not accept any hazardous materials
>>>packages regardless of how packed and I'm wondering if China might be
>>>one of those countries.
>>>
>>>Greg
>>>
>>>
>>>******************************************************
>>>* Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell *
>>>* Herpetology and Ichthyology *
>>>* Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History *
>>>* 170 Whitney Avenue, P. O. Box 208118 *
>>>* New Haven, CT 06520-8118 *
>>>* Phone: 203/432-3791 *
>>>* FAX: 203/432-2874 *
>>>* http://www.peabody.yale.edu *
>>>******************************************************
>>
>>
>>Mr. James B. Ladonski
>>Collection Assistant
>>Division of Amphibians and Reptiles
>>The Field Museum
>>1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
>>Chicago, IL 60605-2496 USA
>>phone: 312-665-7722
>>fax: 312-665-7697
>>email: jladonski at fieldmuseum.org
>>http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/zoology/divisions_amphibians.htm
>
>******************************************************
>* Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell *
>* Herpetology and Ichthyology *
>* Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History *
>* 170 Whitney Avenue, P. O. Box 208118 *
>* New Haven, CT 06520-8118 *
>* Phone: 203/432-3791 *
>* FAX: 203/432-2874 *
>* http://www.peabody.yale.edu *
>******************************************************
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