Weight verification in focus

Container weight verification
will be at the top of the agenda
when the International
Federation of Freight
Forwarders Associations (Fiata)
working group for sea transport
meets in Cape Town in the
second week of February.
“There is still much concern
over the International Maritime
Organisation’s (IMO) container
weight verification protocol, an
amendment to the Solas (Safety
of Lives at Sea) convention,”
said Mike Walwyn, chairman
of the Cape Town Port Liaison
Forum. “We expect to get more
clarity on what is happening
and the extent of readiness of
our international partners at
the international meeting that
is taking place in Cape Town.”
With implementation due
on July 1 this year, the correct
declaration of container weight
has become a critical issue for
the shipping industry.
The exact state of South
Africa’s readiness remains
unknown.
Walwyn said the country was
one of the few that had been
quite proactive to date with
some initiatives under way to
prepare itself.