Car carriers trading to New Zealand are being turned away simply because they smell horrible, according to a loss-prevention note from the North of England P&I Club.
The culprits are the Japanese yellow spotted stink bug and the brown marmorated stink bug which have found their way into cars bound for the country.
The distinctive looking critters are difficult to miss. They can be up to 22 millimetres in length, and if accounts of the stink are correct, it is most unpleasant.
The club said of the bugs: “They release a chemical when threatened, emitting a pungent odour.
“The stink bugs are classed as unwanted organisms under the Biosecurity Act and treatment is not available in New Zealand.
"As such, the country’s primary industries ministry has ordered affected vessels to leave NZ territory and arrange for fumigation before returning.”
