| Print | Close Window | AMO Currents - Posted: August 10, 2015 |
SOLAS container weight regulations affecting vessel masters, operating companies will take effect July 1, 2016
Under the amendments to SOLAS, vessel operators and terminal operators will be required to use verified container weights in vessel stowage plans and will be prohibited from loading a packed container onboard a vessel for shipment if the container does not have a verified container weight.
As reported by the World Shipping Council, the SOLAS amendments were adopted in November 2014. All regulated parties need to be prepared to implement and abide by the container weight verification requirements by July 1, 2016. This period should allow time for regulated parties to prepare for required process and documentation changes and to test information transmission enhancements in advance of the effective date.
"This issue has been a long and hard-fought battle where the International Transport Workers' Federation and the World Shipping Council worked together for a common cause," said American Maritime Officers National Vice President, Government Relations, Mike Murphy, who serves as chairman of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) Maritime Safety Committee.
"With the exception of containers originating in the United States, containers worldwide are not weighed right now," Murphy said. "Shippers estimate the weight of goods they are shipping and the calculations are sometimes inaccurate to the point that some containers are so heavy as to cause stability problems with the ship, and/or crush containers below them, causing cargo losses at sea.
"Although we wanted the sealed container with its contents to be weighed before it was loaded on the ship, we ended up with a compromise," Murphy said of the amendments to SOLAS. "Under the compromise, the shipper has to either weigh the full container and obtain a verified weight from the scales, or they have to perform a calculation of verified weights of all the contents and add them to the tare weight of the container for a 'verified' weight."
Murphy said there is little evidence that adequate preparations are being made by shippers during the transition period to be in compliance with the new regulations when they take effect.
This is cause for concern because "the masters will ultimately be put in the middle when a container arrives without a verified weight," Murphy said.
A detailed explanation of the SOLAS cargo weight amendments is available on the World Shipping Council website.
A summary document, Guidelines for Improving Safety and Implementing the SOLAS Container Weight Verification Requirements, can be downloaded directly from the World Shipping Council website.
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