Preparations begin ahead of mandatory weighing legislation

Container weight verification
is at the top of the agenda as
key industry players plan to
meet over the next few weeks
to prepare for change.
The fruit industry in
the Western Cape has
already scheduled its first
meeting for December 9
saying it is imperative they
are ready long before the
implementation in July next
year.
The International
Maritime Organisation
(IMO) container weight
verification protocol, an
amendment to the Solas
(Safety of Lives at Sea)
convention, will drastically
change how containers are
moved, says Mike Walwyn,
chairman of the Port Liaison
Forum (PLF) in Cape Town,
an initiative of the local
business chamber.
“South Africa will also
benefit when Fiata holds a
meeting in Cape Town in
February on this matter.
Delegates from at least 12
countries will participate
in this meeting and discuss
how industry must approach
the new weight verification
and what steps need to be
taken going forward. It will
also allow South Africa the
opportunity to benchmark
what it is doing against what
is happening in the rest of
the world. Fiata has for some
time been looking at this
matter and its impact.”
The SA Maritime Safety
Authority (Samsa) has also
started to prepare for its
role as the controlling
body. A meeting was
held in Durban recently
where Samsa presented
its proposals, and further
meetings will be scheduled
in other centres. Industry
can participate and engage
with stakeholders as to
what requirements are
necessary and how they can
ensure they have sufficient
weighing and recording
capacity.
“South Africa is really one
of the first countries to take
some form of initiative and
prepare itself in advance,”
said Walwyn. “We have to
be ready before July or we
are going to find ourselves
unable to ship containers. It
really is as simple as that.”
In the fruit industry a
workgroup has already been
established to familiarise
itself with the amendments
and it is continuously
communicating with growers
and exporters. Following a
series of meetings the fruit
industry plans to draft a set
of recommendations on how
they can be prepared and
ready for container weight
verification.
It is believed that
substantial infrastructure
will be required for South
Africa to comply with the new
regulations. With fruit often
being packed in the middle
of the night most packstores
and packing warehouses
are going to have to invest
in the necessary weighing
equipment – something very
few have at present. The
same will apply to exporters
of general cargo, unless they
are in a position to weigh full
containers at a weighbridge,
which seems unlikely,
certainly in the short term.
INSERT & CAPTION
South Africa is one
of the first countries
to take some form of
initiative and prepare
itself in advance.
– Mike Walwyn