Australia Post temporarily suspends incoming sea mail due to increasing number of prohibited items

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://7news.com.au/business/australia ... -c-8502699

The temporary halt comes amid a growing number of prohibited items arriving on Australian shores.


Australia Post has hit the brakes on a popular form of mail delivery amid heightened safety concerns over a growing number of prohibited items arriving on Australian shores.

Many Australians opt for sea mail as a cheaper postage option, despite the delivery taking much longer than by air.

But since October 1, Australia Post has temporarily suspended mail entering the country via the service, citing “an increasing number of prohibited mail items” being shipped into Australia.

An Australia Post spokesperson said the increase in the volume of sea mail was a direct result of COVID-19 air restrictions and decreased aircraft capacity.

“Australia Post currently has only one facility capable of managing sea mail, and significant delays and safety concerns have been experienced due to the volume of prohibited items arriving and requiring intervention,” they told 7NEWS.com.au.

The temporary suspension has been put in place in the hopes of easing the backlog ahead of the busy Christmas period.

However, Australia Post says it is in the process of reviewing its sea mail capacity to ditch the suspension as soon as possible.

“Australia Post is still processing sea mail containers in transit at the time the suspension was announced, and there remains no impact to mail items being sent by air to Australia or items being sent by sea from Australia.

“Australia Post apologises for any inconvenience during this time.”