The World Shipping Council, the TT Club, the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association and the Global Shippers’ Forum have jointly released a second Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document designed to support the smooth implementation of the container weighing regulations that take effect globally on July 1, 2016, according to The Maritime Executive. 

The amendments to International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) require packed shipping containers to have a verified gross mass (VGM) before they can be loaded on a ship for export.

The rules prescribe two methods for shippers to obtain the verified gross mass of a packed container. Under Method 1, upon conclusion of packing and sealing a container, the shipper may weigh, or have arranged for a third party to weigh, the packed container. Under Method 2, the shipper or, by arrangement of the shipper, a third party may weigh all packages and cargo items, including the mass of pallets, dunnage and other packing and securing material to be packed in the container, and add the tare mass of the container to the sum of the single masses of the container’s contents.

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