Major Shipping Company Hapag-Lloyd Tightens Documentation Requirements For Plastic Waste Bound for Southeast Asia

Hapag-Lloyd has announced that Effective February 16, 2026 a completed Letter of Indemnity (LOI) is mandatory for shipments of plastic scraps and metal scraps

Plastic Waste Trade Watch

Hapag-Lloyd has announced that "Effective February 16, 2026 (based on booking creation date), and applicable to existing bookings with loading dates from February 1, 2026, a completed Letter of Indemnity (LOI) is mandatory for shipments of plastic scraps and metal scraps” to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Brunei. The company states that the reasons for this change are "increasing regulatory scrutiny in the region” with over 1,500 containers held across Southeast Asia due to "[g]rowing concerns regarding cargo mis-declarations (including undeclared e-waste)”, "[e]nhanced inspection processes by destination authorities”, and "[c]onfirmed instances of inaccurate cargo declarations.”