'Flexibility' in VGM Compliance Methods Important for SOLAS Implementation, WSC Says

The existence of multiple options for complying with coming container weight verification requirements will help to avoid hiccups once the rules are in place, World Shipping Council CEO John Butler said. Butler's statement was in response to comments from Chairman Mario Cordero of the Federal Maritime Commission, who said use of container weights as determined by terminal operators should satisfy the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) requirements of the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) (see 1606170028), which go into effect July 1. "I think that the Chairman is trying to help, but to the extent his statement suggests there is only one path to VGM compliance, that is incorrect," Butler said. "Carriers have offered multiple transmission methods to their customers, and there are multiple places where loaded containers can be weighed. Increasingly it appears that marine terminals will be part of the solution. That is good news, but marine terminals are not the only solution, and not all marine terminals are offering these services. The Coast Guard, shippers, terminal operators and carriers are all saying that having multiple operational approaches is the way to go, and it is important to keep that flexibility in place in order to ensure a smooth implementation of the SOLAS regulation."

Meanwhile, the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association added its support for use of marine terminal scales for obtaining VGMs (here). The trade group said it recently "received confirmation from the U.S. Coast Guard that the processes used by terminals to obtain gross container weights, and which serve as the foundation for the OCEMA Terminal Weighing Approach, are compliant with the SOLAS mandate." This approach would allow for container weights from U.S. ports and marine terminals to be forwarded by the terminal operator "directly to the ocean carrier for use in vessel stowage planning" and "shippers availing themselves of this option would not be required to provide a signature to the ocean carrier for each container, but would acknowledge that the use of on-terminal scaling provides a VGM."

The group said it will be amending its Best Practice to incorporate a Terminal Weighing Approach. While that approach should allay much confusion on the issue, "here may be operational constraints that require different processes for determining and transmitting VGM," OCEMA said. "In cases where the Terminal Weighing Approach is not feasible, OCEMA will continue to evaluate ways to achieve VGM compliance."