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China SOLAS guidelines opt for 'agencies' to spot check container weights

CHINA said it has opted for random checks on container weights by its "marine management agencies" to meet its enforcement obligation in complying with the mandatory verified gross mass of containers required by the United Nations from July 1.

"All marine management agencies should perform random checks on the verified gross mass of packed containers loaded onto vessels," said the long-awaited guidelines from the Ministry of Transport.

In a consultation paper sent to all agencies of the Transport Ministry and translated by Hong Kong's CargoSmart, the guidelines stated that vessels and terminals could not load a container for which the verified gross mass, or VGM, had not been received.

This is consistent with all other jurisdictions that have so far issued information on the amendment to the UN's International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention that will become law in all 162 signatory states from July 1.

Any discrepancy between the VGM declared by the shipper and the VGM obtained by maritime agencies, vessels, carriers or terminal operators must be within five per cent or one ton, the paper said.

If beyond that, agencies should request that the vessel carrying the box correct the weight information "after the potential risk of safety has been minimised".

With two months to go many say the industry is not ready. Most shippers, say CargoSmart, had no plans to comply and Drewry found that none of carriers it polled were ready to comply.

The UK's P&I Club also said some terminals and shippers seemed unprepared or even unaware of the SOLAS amendment, and it warned that unless practical steps were taken, chaos and commercial disputes could be expected in July.