Cargo should always be presented for shipping in a clean condition. In general, all contamination that can be swept, scraped, washed, or picked away shall be removed from the outside and the inside of the cargo before it is handed over to the carrier, unless the cleaning is part of a customer agreement.
Clean cargo requirements substantially vary from country to country and some areas of the world are more exposed to the risk of invasive species than others due to factors such as geographical location, climate, and the existence of vulnerable industrial sectors such as agriculture and farming etc. Countries in these areas usually have very strict clean cargo requirements and an effective quarantine process to protect their borders against the biosecurity threat caused by global transportation.
It is of outmost importance that representatives of OPERATORS, in load and discharge ports or regions, work together with local authorities and customers to determine a level of cleanliness accepted for their specific trade. However, it is important to note that cargo should never be allowed to cross contaminate other cargo, vessel cargo holds or terminal properties in any way.