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Verified Gross Mass
It seems that down on the quayside or at the terminal the feared chaos has not materialised, but as the new procedure settles in, the debate over liability where third parties weigh boxes on behalf of the shipper is ongoing.
Although SOLAS is clear in stating the shipper has responsibility for providing the VGM, things are less clear when it comes to commercial arrangements whereby ports and carriers weigh boxes and provide the VGM on behalf of the shipper.
MSC.1/Circular 1475 – Guidelines regarding the verified gross mass of a container carrying cargo states:
13 Contingencies for containers received without a verified gross mass
13.1 Notwithstanding that the shipper is responsible for obtaining and documenting the verified gross mass of a packed container, situations may occur where a packed container is delivered to a port terminal facility without the shipper having provided the required verified gross mass of the container. Such a container should not be loaded onto the ship until its verified gross mass has been obtained. In order to allow the continued efficient onward movement of such containers, the master or his representative and the terminal representative may obtain the verified gross mass of the packed container on behalf of the shipper. This may be done by weighing the packed container in the terminal or elsewhere. The verified gross mass so obtained should be used in the preparation of the ship loading plan. Whether and how to do this should be agreed between the commercial parties, including the apportionment of the costs involved.
This seems to suggest that the carrier can agree, as a commercial party, to contractually provide the VGM. By providing this commercial service ‘what additional responsibility does a ship operator have under that contract?’ is the question currently sparking debate. What happens if the paperwork is wrong and a container is not loaded? What happens if the weight is wrong and stow collapses because a tier weight is exceeded? Who is now responsible?
All the IG clubs and container ship operator members are engaged in debate on these issues at the moment. Who weighs and who pays? Keep an eye on our Signals, Horizon email news, and on North’s website for updates.
