SOLAS VGM

Misdeclaration of container weights has been an issue that has been going on for a long time and has plagued many a shipping line, ship and port operators..

In a recent article, I wrote about the basics of container stowage planning and why it is so important..

In this article, I thought it would be worth reiterating the importance of being accurate in the declaration of the weights..

The ubiquitous freight or shipping container has become an integral part of our lives not just if you are in the industry handling and moving these containers from point to point, but for all the businesses and industries that use the container.. It has been universally hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world, one that completely changed the way in which business has been done since the 20th century and really and truly made the world a smaller place and the one true architect of Globalisation.. Exporters, importers, traders, packing houses, ports, customs, border authorities, police, clearing agents, freight forwarders, stevedores, hauliers, weighbridges ............................. and many more entities involved in a trade transaction may be seeing and handling a container on a daily basis.. But although many of these people see a container not everyone understands the many markings on a container.. The markings on a container play a very significant role in the movement of the container as they provide vital information to all entities in the supply chain relating to the monitoring and safety of the container and cargo during its carriage.. Let us look at each of the markings on a container individually using an example below..

We all have seen the clause SAID TO CONTAIN or STC in a Bill of Lading issued for an FCL shipment.. What does it mean and should the Said To Contain clause be allowed or not..??

Join the discussion in this article on whether the Said To Contain clause should be allowed or not in the bill of lading and if you are a carrier that is not showing the Said To Contain on your bill of lading, how do you protect yourself from possible claims relating to shortage of cargo..

Are the clauses Said To Contain and Shipper's Load Stow and Count interchangeable..??

As you may have read, I recently wrote about "Containers lost at sea, why it happens, what to do when it happens and also about What is a ship register or ship registry..

Recent news reports of 83 containers falling off a ship off the coast of Australia in heavy seas seems to have triggered a question in the minds of some people Is the ship register or ship registry liable for containers falling off a ship..??

When reading the news articles about this incident, I noticed something very interesting in the way in which the general public and the shipping fraternity identify a ship, its markings and the areas of concern.. 🙂

To the casual onlooker, signing a bill of lading may be a routine, day to day mundane job done by many people across the world.. But the fact is that there are several technicalities to be considered before signing a bill of lading..

It is important to understand that the person signing the bill of lading acknowledges the details recorded on the bill of lading.. Any bill of lading signed with the knowledge of misrepresented facts may be considered to be a fraudulent document and may result in legal consequences for the signatory..

If you are a bill of lading signatory, here are 8 points that you need to consider before signing a bill of lading.. It may be a bit of a long read, but worth it.. 🙂

As part of global trade, in 2016, approximately 130 million containers packed with cargo with an estimated value of more than $4 trillion were shipped around the world..

As per the University College London's Energy Institute and data visualisation firm Kiln more than 50,000 merchant ships travel high seas, moving goods and commodities all over the place..

With so many containers on the move in many different routes, there are bound to be some containers lost at sea..

We examine the causes, what may prevent it and what to do when your container actually is lost at sea..

It has been 1 year, 1 month & 29 days, or 13 months & 29 days, or 60 weeks & 5 days, or quite simply 425 days since SOLAS VGM was implemented on the 1st of July 2016..

Now it is time to review how has it been.. Read on..

If you are an exporter and especially if you are exporting for the first time, you should have a checklist of points to consider before packing your cargo.. Here are 5 main points you should consider before packing your cargo..

On this blog and many others, the issues surrounding VGM (I can hear people say "yawn") and its relationship or requirement for safety has...

A burning question that is circulating currently in the container industry is whether the Tare Weight of a container should be included in the weight shown in the Bill of Lading or not and whether the SOLAS VGM should match the Bill of Lading weight..

SOLAS VGM Method 2 – How it works in South Africa.. An accredited 3rd party assessor's view..

A pictorial view of the consequences of container weight misdeclaration..

This is an update to my previous article reg SOLAS VGM - South Africa Version with some crucial information shared from FTW Online..

An infographic about SOLAS VGM - South Africa Version.. How this will work in South Africa..

An article explaining all you need to know about Hazardous Cargo Freight and Global Transport..

In November 2014 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) amended SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea convention) Chapter VI Regulation 2 to tighten up the process of weighing containerised cargoes and declaring the correct weights after verification.. What is this SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea convention) Chapter VI Regulation 2 and what does this amendment mean to the day to day shipping industry..?? This article gives you an infographic which will clear it all.. 🙂

Dangerous goods (also referred to as Hazardous Cargo) means the substances, materials and articles that are covered by the IMDG Code and is cargo that is considered to be hazardous because of its flammable, corrosive, poisonous nature or other properties..

An article about the Origin and Evolution of the IMDG Code for the carriage of hazardous goods..

As you are aware and as has been featured several times on this website, misdeclaration of container weight has been a big problem for ship owners and operators and is reported to have caused several accidents.. Now, a tech company in New Zealand claims to have found a unique solution for shippers to weigh the containers in a quick, easy and cost effective manner..

Article from TT Club about regulation of carriage of Flexitank – a bladder or bag used for the transport and/or storage of a non-regulated liquid inside a cargo transport unit (container)..