Small Change, Big Impact: SOLAS Container Weight Verification – The Implications For Carriers

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has amended the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention to require that a packed container's gross weight be verified before the container can be loaded on board a ship.

Part 2 of 3 – Carriers

The new rule will come into force on 1 July 2016 and will apply globally. In a series of three articles, Elizabeth Turnbull and Marcia Perucca look at the obligations placed on shippers, carriers and port terminals, and how the industry is preparing for the change.

In this second article, they highlight the implications for carriers. To access their first paper reviewing the obligations placed on shippers, click HERE.

The SOLAS amendment makes it clear that a packed container without a verified gross mass (VGM) cannot be loaded on board a ship. Although the obligation to obtain the VGM rests with the shipper, the carrier has the obligation to use a VGM to prepare a stowage plan and to refuse a container that has been