Forwarders question SA's readiness for new weighing regulations

Is that July 1 deadline, when
the new International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) regulation
requiring that the verified gross
mass (VGM) of a loaded freight
container be presented before
it is loaded on a ship becomes
mandatory, getting too close for
comfort?
That a number of countries,
including SA, could be unable
to meet this deadline was one
of the considerations at the
latest meeting in Cape Town of
the International Federation
of Freight Forwarders’
Associations (Fiata) working
group on sea transport,
hosted and co-ordinated by
the SA Association of Freight
Forwarders (Saaff) and
attended by representatives
of the SA Fruit Growers'
Association, the SA Association
of Ship Operators and Agents
(Saasoa) and Transnet.
Already, a number of
shippers in countries around
the world have expressed
concern about being ready to
go by July 1,
arguing that
the rule is
too onerous
for them
to be able
to comply
before that
date.
And,
indeed, some
countries’
governments
have been
reported to
be considering asking for the
implementation of the Solas
amendment to be deferred.
The possible problem in SA,
according to Mike Walwyn,
Saaff’s co-ordinator of the
Cape Town meeting, could
be whether the SA Maritime
Safety Authority (Samsa),
authorised to supervise the
implementation of the rule, will
have the accreditation process
for approved shippers in place
before the
deadline.
The vital
part about
this is that,
for a shipper
to be able to
issue a VGM
certificate,
it has to be
accredited.
“Samsa
intends to
appoint
some other
party or parties to conduct this
procedure,” he told FTW. “But
up to now it hasn’t done so, and
the appointee(s) will now have
to organise the accreditation
in about two months so that
everybody can comply on the
deadline date.”
But it has been suggested
that there’s nothing really
new about shippers being
required to provide gross mass
information.
And documents that were
supplied to FTW reported that
the US Coast Guard and the
World Shipping Council (WSC)
– whose members control
some 90% of global container
capacity – argued that this
requirement had been in place
since 1994. All that the Solas
amendment introduced, they
added, was the term “verified
gross mass (VGM)” and the
specifications of how that could
be determined. The lack of
enforcement of the existing rule
and definition of how it would
be enforced is what spurred the
IMO to amend the Solas rule,
the WSC said.
How the Solas container
weight rule is able to be delayed
was clarified by the Federation
of National Associations of Ship
Brokers & Agents (Fonasba).
It highlighted the many, and
often contradictory, reports
circulating at the moment
about the possibility of some
countries seeking delays to
the implementation of the
amendments.
And it sought guidance from
the IMO on this issue.
Summarising the IMO reply,
Fonasba said that any of the
162 signatory nations could
apply to defer implementation
of any Solas amendment (such
as this container weighing
ruling) for a period of one
year. But that deferment will
only apply to vessels flying
the flag of that contracting
government. The deferment
will, therefore, not apply to
ships of other flags calling at
ports in that country.
However, despite this, the
WSC has been adamant that
the rule will become effective
on July 1, without noting the
possibility of any delay.