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US farm exporters thank terminals for taking on VGM weigh-ins

THE Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) has praised container weigh-in methods outlined by the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA) and the G6 Alliance, saying terminals nationwide should adopt similar methods.

The group, which represents US-based agriculture exporters, said it supports an approach to comply with soon-to-be-enforced container weighing rules that would see terminal scale weights for locally received cargo to be considered in compliance with new UN rules, reports American Shipper.



The approach, outlined by the OCEMA on June 17, would see terminal scale weights effectively become an equivalent method for complying with the verified gross mass (VGM) rule, which goes into effect July 1. 



AgTC also pointed to communication from the G6 Alliance last week that weights collected at its affiliated terminals would be considered in compliance with the VGM rule, which is an amendment to an existing Safety of Life at Sea convention.



"The G6 announcement calls for terminal scale weights for all locally received cargo to be received and accepted by the carriers as the VGM equivalent, with the expectation that the terminals will facilitate this process," the AgTC said. 



"This method complies with the US Coast Guard Equivalency set forth in the Marine Safety Information Bulletin of April 28, stating that for purposes of determining VGM, current terminal weighing equipment/practices used to comply with federal or state laws, including the Intermodal Safe Container Transportation Act and 29 CFR 1918.85(b), are acceptable for SOLAS compliance."
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