Transhipment of explosives
The Explosives Act 1999 applies to explosives imported into Queensland under customs bond that are for immediate transport to another Australian state or territory, or export overseas
This can include any explosive brought into an airport or sea port, transported on a public road and stored temporarily in Queensland.
This does not include explosives under Customs Prohibited Export Regulation 1958 (i.e. explosives under the direct control of the Department of Defence).
You'll need a licence or permit issued under the Explosives Act to import, export, possess, transport and store explosives held under customs control in Queensland.
Any explosive you import into Queensland, including under customs bond, must be authorised and be listed on the list of authorised explosives register.
Security clearances
During transhipment, each person who has the explosives in their possession will need to hold a security clearance. Some explosives may not require a security clearance. See Information Bulletin 74 for more information.
An aviation security identification card (ASIC) or marine security identification card (MSIC) is not an adequate security check for access to explosives.
The operator in possession of the explosives at each part of the journey, under their security management system, needs appropriate security clearance for any employees with unsupervised access to the explosives.
You must also comply with the:
- Australian explosives code 3rd edition (AEC3) for a class 1 explosive, including the IMDG code for import or export and the additional requirements of section 6.3 for any explosives under customs bond (see the Safe Work Australia website for more information).
- Australian dangerous goods code 7th edition (ADG7) for a class 2–9 explosive (see the National Transport Commission website for more information).
Storage requirements state that, for any issue with explosives under customs bond, an explosives inspector may open and inspect a container's contents. The container then remains under customs bond and, following any inspection and remedial action, is re-sealed.
Contact the Explosives Inspectorate for further information.