NEW SOLAS REGULATION - VGM
Verified Gross Mass (VGM) – new
SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) regulation February
26, 2016
Dear Customer / Business Partner
As from July 1, 2016, the new SOLAS
regulation will become effective. This new regulation aims to determine a precise total weight per each
container loaded on board of vessels, to ensure optimal spread of weight over
the vessel’s space, leading to more safety on board for the cargo itself, the
vessels and human beings on board the vessels. While safety is our joint
concern, it will effect all parties in the logistic chain, for LCL and FCL
shipments.
What is the VGM :
The VGM (= Verified Gross Mass)
represents the joint weight of cargo, packaging materials, stowage materials
and container-weight.
Who is responsible for submission of
the VGM :
The party mentioned as ‘Shipper’ on
the Bill of Lading is responsible for submission of the correct VGM. This makes
Cleve & Zonen responsible for submission of the VGM for consolidated
containers.
You will be responsible for
submission to us for your LCL (and/or FCL) shipment.
How to determine the VGM :
FCL : by weighing the loaded
container on a calibrated and certified scale
LCL : by weighing the shipment and
its packing-material jointly, on a calibrated and certified scale
How to submit the VGM to us :
While the shipping lines do not
apply one common procedure (at the moment there is not, and each line may apply
their own form and VGM cut-off) Cleve & Zonen strongly considers to issue
her own VGM submission form, either through a separate form or via existing EDI
connection. Further infor-mation will follow in due time.
Impact on consolidated cargoes :
As an NVO handling considerable
volumes of LCL cargo, complying with the VGM rule is a complex procedure. With
multiple LCL customers in our consolidated containers we cannot afford one
customer to affect smooth handling and release of the cargoes of the others, as
they did not do their job properly. It is our obligation to ensure weights
declared by our customers are correct.
Possible consequences for not
submitting the VGM timely, or for not submitting a correct VGM :
The carrier will not load any FCL container
for which the VGM is missing. Extra expenses may arise from this. Additionally,
you may be sanctioned, possibly resulting in penalties of financial,
operational and/or commercial nature. Likewise for LCL cargoes ; we will not
load when the VGM is missing. De-
pending applicable conditions, we
will hold responsible and pass such extra expenses and sanctions to the party
who submitted (or, omitted to submit) the VGM to us.
We need your utmost support for this
and urge you to inform your customers to become familiar with this new
regulation as well and invite you to make the necessary arrangements earliest possible.
We will keep you informed on further
developments though our monthly Info Bulletins or mailings.
With regards