Verified Gross Mass (VGM), effective July 1, 2016

                    SOLAS - No VGM, No loading

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has made amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention indicating that all shippers must comply with mandatory container weight verification requirements, or Verified Gross Mass (VGM), effective July 1, 2016.      No VGM, No loading

Under the SOLAS requirements, the shipper named on the ocean bill of lading is the party responsible for providing the maritime carrier and the terminal operator with the verified gross mass of a packed container. Even though we are acting as NVOCC or a freight forwarder, we are as the agent on behalf of the shipper in the ocean bill of lading, that we will still be identified as the “shipper” defined in the SOLAS requirements, therefore, please kindly follow up our instructions without exemption: 

1) Make sure your operation and documentation team know what VGM is, and how to calculation the VGM, VGM is the total gross mass of a packed container which includes the cargo weight, block & bracing materials and container tare.

2) Must collect the VGM information from the shipper for every packed container through Manual or paper document-based submissions, however, DO NOT accept VGM submissions that are communicated to us by phone, voice mail or other verbal means.

3) VGM submission information from shipper should Container number ,Verified Gross Mass (VGM) with unit, Signature of the shipper or authorized person, Weight ticket or additional information and/or documents required by relevant state authorities, if any.

4) Please keep all data and documentation for at least two years.

5) Please advise your local requirement from carriers and terminals to the shipper in advance in order to avoid any Surcharges, delay in shipment export, or other inconvenience caused for which we are fully and totally not responsible nor liable for.

 

Yours sincerely,

WM CONTAINER LINE LIMITED