Two USCG Approved Alternative Methods for Obtaining Certified Container Weights
According to an article posted by the Journal of Commerce, the US Coast Guard has recently approved two alternative ways for obtaining certified container weights to meet the International Maritime Organization’s new SOLAS international rule mandating that “no container shall be allowed to board a vessel without an accompanying verified gross mass, or VGM.”
The two methods will provide an easy path for agricultural exporters, however, will require terminal operators to assess their policies on providing SOLAS-compliant container weights via their existing scales.
As mentioned in the article, below are the 2 approved alternative methods for obtaining certified container weights:
(1) This method was originally proposed by SCPA, wherein the terminal operators weigh the container, and if authorized, will verify the VGM in lieu of the shipper. The SCPA is the only US port that expressed its willingness to weigh containers on site to help shippers comply with the new regulation.
(2) The second method was proposed by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition or AgTC and has been dubbed as a “rational” method. Under this method, the “US exporters would certify the weight of their cargo and packing materials while container lines would certify the weight of the containers that they own, control and manage.” The container liners would then add the two weights to create a VGM, which will then be submitted to the terminal operator before loading. Under this process, the shippers “will not be held liable for the weight of the container itself, which they neither own, lease nor operate.” APL and the Ocean Carrier Equipment, however, has explicitly said that they will not accept VGMs obtained via this method.
The USCG’s announcement points out that carriers are allowed to permit any of the two acceptable methods for providing VGMs to carriers as long as it is obtained with the use of certified scales.
AgTC has commended USCG’s approval and stated that it will help “individual ocean carriers to develop, in concert with their customers, means of compliance that make economic and operational sense for both.”
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