Certified Weight Solas Regulations Update
Regulations regarding the international transit of containers is mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Effective July 1, 2016, shippers are responsible for verifying the weight of packaged containers being transported on vessels. The regulation was created by The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Seas’ (SOLAS).
DGD Transport takes pride in staying up to date with industry standards. We are making sure that our entire fleet is compliant much before the international deadline in an ongoing effort to bring our customers the best experience possible.
Why are Regulations Changing?
Laws are meant to serve as resolutions to problems. This new SOLAS requirement stems from the trend of shippers fraudulently declaring smaller amounts of weight in an attempt to lower shipping costs.
The act is not always malicious as some shippers do not take the extra step of weighing their containers using certified scales (again this would incur an extra cost).
What Shippers Need to Know
- Before a packaged container can be loaded onto a ship it must be weighed using certified and calibrated scales.
- Under SOLAS amendments there are two approved methods of weighing: Method 1 requires weighing the container full of contents on a weighbridge, or Method 2, which requires weighing the contents going into a container and adding those weights to the container’s tare weight as indicated on the door end of the container.
- Before a packaged container can be loaded onto a ship it must be weighed using certified and calibrated scales.
- Under SOLAS amendments there are two approved methods of weighing: Method 1 requires weighing the container full of contents on a weighbridge, or Method 2, which requires weighing the contents going into a container and adding those weights to the container’s tare weight as indicated on the door end of the container.
Who is the “shipper”?
The shipper is defined as a legal entity or person named on the bill of lading or sea waybill or equivalent multimodal transport document (e.g. “through” bill of lading) as shipper and/or who (or in whose name or on whose behalf) a contract of carriage has been concluded with a shipping company. Guidelines regarding the verified gross mass of a container carrying cargo, MSC.1/Circ.1475, Annex at 3, Sec. 2.1.12 (June 9, 2014).
All shipments carried out with DGD Transport are guaranteed to adhere to the new regulations months ahead of their official enforcement (July 1, 2016). Our drivers will be visibly posting the tare weight on the chassis of trucks, the containers doors, and the bills of lading, keeping your freight compliant and on its way to it’s destination.
As a precautionary measure we will labelling our fleet with tare weights as pictured below.
Without adherence to the new SOLAS amendment your shipment will be subject to fines and is at risk of being delayed. The regulation clearly states that “If the shipping document, with regard to a packed container, does not provide the verified gross mass and the master or his representative and the terminal representative have not obtained the verified gross mass of the packed container, it shall not be loaded onto the ship.” Regulation 2, paragraph 1.
Don’t risk having your shipment delayed and Consult DGD Transport for your next shipment today!
