please be more precise: which units are involved, what were their orders?

GIVE is processed in turnorder. Example turnorder: unit A unit B unit C

If unit A hands something over to B, B can hand it over to ANY other unit (A or C). And (if it gets something) C can hand it again over to A or B (witch have already done their orders and wont hand it over again this round).

Units involved. Unit t2jn gives to 8dhf. 8dhf gives to v8w0.

orders were:

t2jn : ROUTE NE NW NW PAUSE SE SE SW PAUSE GIVE 8dhf HERBS GIVE 26u9 ALL shield

8ghf : GIVE v8w0 HERBS (as they told me) and I don't know more, but more give and move or route

v8w0 : ENTER SHIP 61z9 ;Ferry NAME SHIP "Petit Navire" NAME UNIT "Cap. Petit Navire" ROUTE se se se PAUSE GIVE 4nff ALL incense GIVE 4nff ALL myrrh GIVE 4nff ALL silk GROUP "FeKoEd"

As said before, Items can be affected by multiple give orders in a single turn. I have not found it explicitely in the rules, but I think it is no bug.

K and Argelas are right: The item was given twice because of the unit ordering in the region. I don't think this is intuitive either, but preventing it would be a lot of work. And I think it wouldn't make anyone a lot happier, either.