SOLAS : VGM
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted amendments that requires packed containers' gross mass to be verified prior to stowage aboard ship. All players in the shipping industry have agreed with many regulatory authorities and stakeholders to the implementation of the policy on such requirements as well as to ensure that processes and system readiness for compliance are in order and implemented.
SOLAS - Safety Of Life At Sea: The International Convention for the SOLAS is an international maritime treaty which sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships.
VGM - The Verified Gross Mass is the weight of the cargo including dunnage and bracing plus the tare weight of the container carrying this cargo. SOLAS requires the shipper to provide VGM in a “shipping document,” either as part of the shipping instruction or in a separate communication, before vessel loading. Misdeclared container weights have a serious impact on the stability of vessels, trucks and terminal equipment. This can pose a threat to the safety of workers in the industry and even endanger lives. Misdeclaration appears to be widespread: when containers were weighed after incidents, the total often came out different than on the cargo manifest. The long struggle with this problem has now resulted in amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention (Chapter VI, Regulation 2, to be precise) to ensure that all container weights are declared accurately.
This obviously require new agreements about procedures, as well as modifications to existing IT systems.The shipper (or a third party under the shipper’s responsibility) is required to weigh the packed container or all of its contents, depending on the selected method. The weighing equipment that is used must meet national certification and calibration requirements. The SOLAS amendments demand that the weight verification must be ‘signed’: a specific person must be named and identified as having verified the accuracy of the weight calculation on behalf of the shipper. A carrier may rely on this signed weight verification as being accurate.
The verified gross weight of a container must be declared in a signed shipping document. This can be part of the instructions to the shipping company or a separate document, like a declaration including a weight certificate. In either case, the document should clearly state that the gross weight provided is the ‘verified gross mass’. Carriers have to provide shippers with cut-off times within which the carrier must receive the required container weight verification from the shipper for ship stowage planning. These cut-off times may vary by carrier, may vary depending on the operational procedures or requirements of different terminal operators, and may vary from port to port. Containers without a verified gross mass will not be loaded on board.
