Influence of forced weighing of containers

thChina Logistics News Network: International Maritime Organization (IMO) amended the maritime life safety convention (SOLAS) to force containers to carry out total weight verification before shipment. The provisions will be implemented globally in July 1, 2016. Elizabeth Turnbull and Marcia Peruka analyzed shippers and carried out the shippers in writing. People and port wharves should undertake the obligations and the industry should make preparations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) amended the Convention on the safety of human life at sea (SOLAS), forcing the container to carry out the total weight verification before shipment. The provision will be implemented globally in July 1, 2016. Elizabeth Turnbull and Marcia Peruka analyzed shippers, carriers and port wharfs by writing. The obligations that should be undertaken and the preparations that the industry should make. This article focuses on the impact on shippers. Part I: the impact on the shipper First, the background Maritime container transportation has a history of more than 50 years. People will wonder why the container weighing system has only been started this year. False declaration of container weight can cause the collapse of container stacking, casualties and damage of equipment and goods. Accidents caused by false declaration of container weight are common. Based on the reduction and elimination of accidents caused by container weight, the industry initiated the initiative to weigh the container strength. After years of consultations, IM The O Maritime Safety Committee adopted the amendment of the sixth chapter of the SOLAS convention in November 2014 to force the weighing of containers. The amendment will come into force in July 1st this year. This provision will help the correct stowage of containers on ships, reduce and avoid the occurrence of related accidents. The introduction of the new regulations will affect all the relevant parties in the container transportation supply chain, and the shipper will bear the brunt. Two, what is the shipper In order to facilitate the effective implementation of the regulation, IMO developed the "weight verification guide for loading containers" (hereinafter referred to as the "guide"). The guide defines "shipper": a person who is designated as a legal entity or person of a shipper in a bill of lading or a sea waybill or other equivalent multimodal transport form (such as a bill of lading), or / or a person who has signed a contract of transport with a shipping company or in his name or on behalf of the shipping company to sign a contract of transport. In the actual working group, the shipper may be the shipper (cargo owner or exporter), the carrier free carrier, or the company or individual responsible for the LCL. Three, specific requirements 3 months before the intended shipment of the container, the shipper will decide which way to obtain the total weight verification (VGM). (1) selection of weighing methods The SOLAS Convention provides two methods for weighing containers: Overall weighing method: the cargo containers are weighed by using the equipment verified and authenticated. Cumulative calculation: weighing the weight of all packages and goods within the container by weighing methods approved by the countryundefineds competent authorities in the case of the packing, and accumulating the overall weight of the cargo container with the chassis, gaskets, other solid material and the weight of the container itself in the container, by weighing the weight of all the containers and goods in the container. The choice of weighing methods depends entirely on the types of goods to be transported and the weighing facilities available to the shipper. For example, method two can not be used for goods that are not weighed independently for their own characteristics, such as scrap, non packaged grains and other bulk goods. In order to obtain VGM and other necessary evidence, the shipper also needs to take a close look at the specific requirements of the Contracting States of the SOLAS Convention on packaging and weighing. For example, the notice issued by the British Maritime Authority (the British Maritime and coastal security agency) provides that the use of method two, which is weighed, is to use the existing credit system (such as ISO9000), and the use of method two is used. The first method should be implemented by weighing and measuring rules. (two) VGM certificate The shipper shall ensure that the VGM certificate of the container is signed by the shipper or its authorized person and shall submit the VGM certificate to the captain, its representative and the representative of the dock in accordance with the masterundefineds or his representativeundefineds requirements for the use of the shipundefineds plan for stowage. The shipper shall provide the gross weight of the cargo container to the captain or its representative and the terminal operator as soon as possible in the form of a transport document. The document may be part of the instructions submitted to the carrier, a separate proof material, and the most important thing is to note that the total weight of the carrier is "VGM". The information can be electronically shaped. The submission of a signature may be the carrierundefineds electronic signature or the name of the authorized person (capital letter) instead. Although the SOLAS amendment requires the shipper to submit VGM to the captain and the dock, the IMO guide clarifies that the shipper will send the VGM to the captain, even if it fulfil the obligations stipulated in the Convention, that the captain will give the VGM to the terminal operator. The shipper needs to submit the weight certificate to the container when the container is shipped to the dock related facilities. Terminal operator. The new regulation does not specify the specific time to provide such information, only to indicate that the shipper must communicate with the carrier and the terminal operator in advance to ensure the smooth loading of the container before the loading plan is prepared. In addition, shippers may face severe penalties if they do not meet these requirements, depending on the different provisions of the Contracting States. In view of this, the shipper should seriously consider the new provisions of the Convention and the related costs and responsibilities of container weighing, so as to evaluate and modify the terms and conditions of the contract.