Australia
New Zealand Seabridge Global Logistics News & Resources
WE ARE sure that you are familiar with the new regulation changes in Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in regards to the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) that became effective as of July 1st 2016. Seabridge takes safety and compliance of relevant regulations seriously and the following is an outline of how we will handle the VGM requirements in regards to Less than Container Load (LCL) cargo.
As previously discussed, the VGM regulation requires that every container that is loaded onto a ship engaged in an international voyage must have a declared VGM. The VGM includes the entire packed container (including any packing materials, as well as cargo items).
The responsibility for declaring the VGM lies with the shipper, and in the FAK/LCL environment, Seabridge is the shipper of record on the Master Bill of Lading. Therefore, the responsibility for declaring VGM lies with us.
Seabridge will submit the VGM, in the required format, within the defined deadlines as provided by every carrier/terminal.
WHAT DO WE NEED FROM YOU?
- Seabridge will assume that the weight given for any given LCL shipment, as submitted to us, by you, is accurate.
- Weight for LCL shipments need to be submitted to Seabridge no later than the advertised LCL cutoff date.
- We will accept weight information via the same method we do today, as part of the regular documentation flow accompanying the shipment.
Please note –
We will be relying on information submitted to us to be accurate in order to submit a correct VGM.
We urge you to ensure that all of your customers/shipping departments are aware of the need for precise and accurate weight details for their cargo.
We recommend that manufactures and trading companies conduct internal controls to guarantee that the known weight of their products is accurate.
Please remember that weight includes all packing materials – including pallets, if applicable.
The responsibility of providing an accurate and precise weight of the cargo falls on your customer and therefore, in turn, on you.
For the sake of due diligence, Seabridge will be performing spot checks on individual shipments upon receipt of our CFS’s. Similarly, we will also be performing spot checks on full containers, once loaded.
Effective from 1st July 2016 Seabridge has implemented the following charges
SOLAS Administration Fee $20.00 / BL
SOLAS Weighing Fee (if required): $6.50 / m3
If you have any further questions in regards to the mandatory VGM or LCL shipping, please contact Seabrige today, we will be happy to assist with any enquiries you have.
