Shippers urged to act now on Solas

There’s still significant
ignorance among shippers
around their responsibility
in terms of the new Safety of
Life at Sea verified gross mass
regulations and it’s unlikely
that the entire industry will
be ready in time for the July 1
deadline.
That’s the view of Frank
Veenstra of CWM Survey &
Inspection, one of ten agents
accredited so far to approve
shippers in terms of method 2
– the weighing of the cargo and
contents and adding it to the
tare weight of the container.
“From our experience a
number of shippers are not
aware of their responsibility
and believe the freight
forwarder will take care of it
– but they need to realise that
they are the responsible party
in this,” says Veenstra.
The company is currently
in negotiations with various
shippers who will be approved
in the near future.
“Shippers are still
sceptical and our challenge
is to convince them that the
regulation will be enforced
and that they need to get this
sorted as soon as possible
or face major problems in
shipping goods out of South
Africa.”
And it’s a simple process,
says Veenstra. “Shippers
merely need to fill in the
application form on our
website and provide the
necessary documents,
which we’ll audit to ensure
everything is in order. “We’ll
then undertake an on-site
audit of weighing and packing
sites after which the shipper,
if compliant, will be approved.
We are here to help,” said
Veenstra.
An established survey
and inspection company,
Netherlands-based CWM
opened its doors in South
Africa recently. It specialises
in scrap metals (ferrous and
non-ferrous), waste paper and
waste plastic inspections.
INSERT & CAPTION
Our challenge is to
convince shippers
that they need to get
this sorted as soon as
possible.
– Frank Veenstra