Ship Carrying Australia-bound Tesla EVs Ordered To Turn Back

Seems a shipment of Tesla EVs on a ship bound for Australia was ordered to turn back by said country's authorities.

It looks like a handful of Australian customers waiting for their Tesla EV orders to arrive may have to wait just a little longer. Recently, a Chinese ship carrying a shipment of Tesla EVs – Model 3 and Model Y – from Shanghai bound for Australia was ordered to turn back by Australian authorities, reports Drive.com.au.

The reason for the ship’s dismissal stems from the authorities discovery of stink bugs on board. Those familiar with or frequently travel in and out of Australia would know by now of said country’s ultra-strict protocols on all foreign persons and cargoes that enter the country.

Said ship, called the Glovis Caravel, was barred by Australian authorities from entering the country after stink bugs were detected on board. (Image: Vessel Finder) 

Drive.com.au’s report further notes that customers with Tesla EV orders that were on board said ship, called the Glovis Caravel, were told that the vessel was “denied entry” in to the country and must “return to Shanghai for further processing” before re-entering Australia.

Essentially, “further processing” means the vessel must undergo a thorough cleaning process to rid itself of said stowaway stink bugs, as well as any other live insects or organisms. These lifeforms are deemed by Australian authorities to pose a “significant threat” to their local wildlife and agriculture.

"There were multiple detections including Yellow Spotted Stink Bug, which poses a significant threat to Australia's plant health and environment because of the damage it can do to agriculture crops, fruit and ornamental trees," said a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokesperson.

The Glovis Caravel reportedly has a 6,500 vehicles carrying capacity. It remains unclear how many units of Australia-bound Tesla EVs were on board when it was ordered away. (Image: Vessel Finder)

The Glovis Caravel reportedly has a capacity of 6,500 vehicles, but it’s unclear exactly how many Tesla EV units were on board when it was ordered to return to China sometime earlier this week.  This isn’t the first time ships carrying cars for delivery to Australia were refused entry.

Earlier this year, Australian ports suffered a quarantine crisis that created a traffic jam of ships anchored offshore or in transit between docks as cleaning teams raced to check and treat incoming cars for biosecurity hazards.

It is believed that Australia-bound shipments of the Model Y (left) and latest Model 3 Highland (right) from the Shanghai Gigafactory were affected when the Clovis Caravel was refused entry into said country.

Malaysia-bound RHD Tesla models also come from the same Shanghai Gigafactory. To date, there has been no reported cases of Malaysia-bound Tesla shipments being delayed or ordered to turn back for similar reasons.

"We are actively investigating all available options to get your [vehicle] to you as soon as possible. This may include reassigning your order to a vehicle from the next batch of production," says Tesla Australia to affected customers via a notice shared by multiple Tesla Model Y buyers on social media.

The American EV brand also promised more details will be provided in the coming week. The forced return of one of its transport ships comes as Tesla prepares to post annual sales records both in the Australian and global markets.

Like Australia, Malaysia-bound right-hand-drive (RHD) Tesla models also come from the automaker’s Shanghai Gigafactory pictured below. However, no such cases of Tesla EV shipments from Shanghai being barred entry into Malaysia have been reported thus far.