Shipper verification now critical

With only six weeks

to go before the

new Safety of Life

at Sea (Solas) verified gross

mass (VGM) regulations take

effect, shippers and their

agents are best advised to

be less concerned about

the mechanisms or channels

that will be used for

communicating the VGM to

carriers and more focused

on getting the necessary

processes and equipment in

place to weigh cargo and

containers.

Experts addressing the

Exporters Club Western

Cape (ECWC) recently said

with so little time left before

implementation the focus

should now be on equipment

and processes that will see

cargo weighed.

“Without a VGM cargo will

not be loaded onto vessels,”

said Gavin Fitzmaurice of

Webber Wentzel. “If found

guilty of a mis-declaration

or non-conformity to the

amended regulations shippers

face hefty fines or even

imprisonment of a term not

exceeding 12 months.”

With only two shippers to

date accredited for the new

Solas regulation method

2 of weighing containers,

the focus now has to be

on ensuring that weighing

equipment is verified by one

of ten companies accredited

by the South African Maritime

Safety Authority (Samsa) so

far and that processes are in

place to have all cargo and

containers weighed accurately

regardless of what the

processes were.

“Unless an accurate

VGM can be provided

containers will not be loaded.

Compliance with this is not

negotiable.”

CAPTION

CFR Freight was the first

shipper using Method 2 to be

approved in terms of the new

Solas VGM regulations. Ricky

Pillay of ABC Kings hands over

the certificate of compliance to

CFR MD Martin Keck.