Starting from the 1st of July 2016 entered into force the amendments prepared by the International Maritime Organization for the Convention of the salvation of lives in the sea (SOLAS).
These amendments require that the shipper certify the gross weight of the container and that the same is transmitted to the master of the ship and to the terminal operator before the entry in the port.
The shipper can get the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) through two methods:
- the shipper, at loading completed, weighs the container;
- the shipper can weigh the individual packages to be loaded by adding them to the container tare
The first method will be definitely the best solution for Cape Verde knowing the work we do every day on this destination; we will weigh the full loaded container at the accredited centers, in order to fulfill the obligations.
This, will involve an additional cost (still to be quantified) and a timeline that, at least during the first months of implementation of the procedure, will be longer and will be taken into account in the planning of loads for the departures of the ships.