Another delay for mandatory container weight verification

The issue of mandatory legislation on container weight verification has once again stalled following discussions last week. The outcome of the IMO’s 17th Session of the Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers Sub-committee (DSC/17) in London last week was not conclusive in terms of agreeing definitive changes in international law relating to the verification of container weights. Following what the British International Freight Association has described as “frustrating delays”, TT Club is urging all parties to redouble efforts to formulate an acceptable global regulation on container weight verification. According to Bifa, the insurer has urged all those involved in container operations to prepare for regulatory change All sides of the argument recognise that weight misdeclaration has been identified in a number of high-profile cases, such as ‘MSC Napoli’, ‘Riverdance’ and ‘Husky Racer’, yet the debate continues, says Bifa. However, TT Club believes that valuable progress was made leading to the recommendation to amend SOLAS (the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) to require that freight containers should not be loaded on board a ship without a verified weight. The detail of how this is to be achieved will now be considered by a correspondence group of IMO members, which is tasked with confirming the necessary amendments to SOLAS along with comprehensive guidelines, to be submitted to the next DSC meeting in September next year. The guidelines will resolve how the revised regulations can be enforced in every containerised situation, including the least sophisticated operations.