TPT gets ready for new container weighing area

As the July 1 deadline for

implementation of the new

Solas regulation requiring

shippers to provide the

verified gross mass

(VGM) of every container

before it is loaded aboard

ship closes in, Transnet

Port Terminals has been

gearing up operationally

for the new era.

“As part of ensuring

that we come to the party

we have extended our

stack dates on the last

day of June to make sure

that we accommodate

all containers – and

most importantly that

we comply,” Transnet

Port Terminals general

manager, Zeph Ndlovu,

told a packed audience

at a joint FTW/JCCI

workshop on the

implementation of the

new Solas requirements in

Johannesburg last week.

TPT would hold a series of

EDI forums to help prepare

its customers for July 1

implementation, he said.

As has been widely

publicised, there are two

approved methods of

weight verification – either

weighing the entire packed

container or weighing the

contents, dunnage and

packaging and adding this

to the tare weight of the

container. But whatever

method is used, the

regulations clearly state

that containers must be

weighed at source and that

the onus for providing

the correct VGM lies

with the shipper – which

is why TPT will have

no involvement in the

weighing of containers.

It was one of the

frequently asked questions,

said Ndlovu, “but the

equipment that we own is

used for safety purposes

– to ensure that we do not

load anything in excess of

what is declared.

“The VGM must be

verified at source – not in

transit and not at the port

itself.

“For transhipment

containers, the VGM will

have to be confirmed by

the port of loading so that

by the time it arrives on

our shores the information

has been verified.”

The new regulations

will also clearly impact the

structure of EDI messages,

an issue which TPT is

addressing.

“In order to

accommodate the

requirements of Solas, TPT

will convene EDI forums

with its customers to

manage the process at an

operational and technical

level. The existing

process for EDI testing

remains and customers

are welcome to engage

with our IT department

to test messages. We have

planned a big forum on

March 31 to provide as

much clarity as possible.”

To facilitate the

submission of VGM, existing

fields will be amended and

new fields will be developed

for container exports. “The

fields will be mandatory and

will be aligned to existing

pre-advice processes,” he

said.

In terms of TPT’s Navis

traffic management system,

Ndlovu said the organisation

had undertaken to provide

an international Solascompliant

version within

the legislated deadline

– with a test run prior to

implementation. “All of this

will be communicated in the

EDI forum,” he said.

“This is a call to war

for all of us. We have to

claim our position in the

international marketplace.

Anyone who tries to

circumvent the regulatory

system is harming the

reputation of the industry.

Let’s do our part in

promoting the integrity of

South African business.”

CAPTION

Zeph Ndlovu