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ARTICLE · 02 JUNE 2016

Canada Implements The SOLAS Container Weight Regulation

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The requirement for shippers to provide cargoes gross mass is not new; it has been part of SOLAS from its early days.

CanadaTransport
Jean-Marie Fontaine
Jean-Marie Fontaine
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On July 1, 2016, the amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea ("SOLAS") Convention, which requires shippers to provide Verified Gross Mass ("VGM") certificates to ocean carriers, will come into effect. How will this affect Canadian exporters and shipping lines operating in Canada?

The requirement for shippers to provide cargoes gross mass is not new; it has been part of SOLAS from its early days. What is new is an amendment to regulation 2 of Chapter VII of SOLAS which now requires shippers to verify the gross mass of packed containers and sets out two methods for calculating VGM.

While other maritime nations created new regulations or amended existing ones to implement these changes to SOLAS, Canada did not feel this was necessary as the Cargo, Fumigation and Tackle Regulations already requires shippers of cargo to be loaded in Canadian waters to comply with the provisions of SOLAS. Instead, Transport Canada — Marine Safety and Security have simply issued a

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