SOLAS: Global Container Weight Requirement

All exporters, importers, freight forwarders and carriers must prepare for the upcoming global regulation requiring every packed container to have a verified container weight prior to loading on a vessel. The international treaty mandated by SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) and published by the World Shipping Council applies to all container shipments wherever loaded and will be effective July 1st, 2016. Overweight containers contributed to the MSC Napoli break up and subsequent beaching off the UK Coast in 2007, along with other vessel accidents. “The regulations place a requirement on the shipper of a packed container, regardless of who packed the container, to provide the container’s gross verified weight to the ocean carrier and port terminal representative sufficiently in advance of vessel loading to be used in the preparation of the ship stowage plan,” the World Shipping Council explained.

Steamship lines and terminal operators will be prohibited from loading a packed container on a vessel if the container does not have the verified weight. Carriers are working on revising freight flow and documentation software, and all countries with active ports are working on their own requirements. While it is an international treaty, there is not global enforcement requirements and every country may come up with different regulations. Some ports and terminals have enough scales to accommodate weighing each container at in-gate, but others do not. Ultimately, the shipper is the listed responsible party, and the shipper can also be the freight forwarder/NVOCC.

For example, in the UK, the British Shippers Council is providing information on the options for shippers, including a registration and approval process by which the shipper will be granted a code valid for 3 years confirming that the shipper’s procedures have been inspected and approved by a recognized authority. If the shipper is not registered/approved, each container will be weighed at the loading or arrival port to verify the declared weights—a process that could create huge delays and congestion. We will keep you advised as the global regulations unfold, but at this time, be aware that this regulation is coming and start preparing for weight verification if you are a US Exporter, and advise your global suppliers!

If you have any questions about this new regulation, feel free to contact us. Also, look for more trade news in our upcoming edition of The WSSA Grapevine coming out soon!