container weighing comes into force
A new regulation requiring the verified gross mass (VGM) of all seaborne containers to be submitted before they can be loaded aboard ship comes into force today.
According to MANA,IMO points out that the amendments to SOLAS regulation VI/2 will assist in ensuring that the 170m containers carried on ships each year are optimally stowed, thereby helping to prevent container stacks collapsing and containers being lost overboard, and the associated injury and loss of life.Overweight containers have been seen as the cause of a number of casualties including the MSC Napoli.
IMO adds that it is the shipper’s responsibility to ensure that the VGM of each packed container is stated in the shipping document, a signed copy of which must then be submitted to the ship’s master or his representative, and to the terminal representative, in good time for the ship stowage plan to be drawn up. “If not, the container shall not be loaded onto the ship,” it states.