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SOLAS amendments in regard to mandatory Verified Gross Mass (VGM) declarations came into effect on 1 July, with a three-month transitional period until 30 September 2016.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has advised that this should not be interpreted as a postponement of the effective date. Rather, it is a transitional period to allow for transshipment containers that were loaded prior to 1 July 2016 without a VGM.
From now on, it is required that all containers that are loaded onto a ship engaged in an international voyage must have a declared VGM. If a VGM is not declared, the container will not be loaded.
Although extensively covered, it is important to once again reiterate –
THE CONTAINER SHIPPER (OR THEIR LOADING PARTNER) IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE VGM.
We have recently provided detailed information on how the VGM can be calculated.
Our factsheet also provides a quick reference guide.
If you have any further questions, please contact Seabridge today. As an experienced international freight forwarder, Seabridge has the expertise to guide you through the new SOLAS regulations.
