UN require Shippers to declare verified gross weight for all containers
To ensure the safety of vessels and workers, the IMO as a body under The United Nations, will as from 01-07-2016 require Shippers to declare the gross weight on all containers, Unifeeder said in its press release.
This UN requirement will be implemented in national legislation in all countries world wide. The headline is:
“A packed container will not be loaded on board vessels unless the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of the container has been provided to the Carrier and terminal, or their representatives, sufficiently in advance.”
The regulation clearly mention that Shipper is responsible to obtain and document the Verified Gross Mass of a packed container.
The Verified Gross Mass (VGM) is the total gross mass of a packed container including the tara of the container. VGM can be obtained by one of the two methods described below:
· Method 1 – Using calibrated and certified equipment, the shipper weighs the packed container at the end of the stuffing operation.
· Method 2 - The shipper weighs all packages, cargo items, pallets, dunnage and other packing and securing material and adds the tare mass of the container. The total sum finally obtained is the weight to be provided. This method is subject to certification and approval by the competent national authority of the State in which the packing and sealing of the container was completed.
