SOLAS - CONTAINER WEIGHT VERIFICATION The International Maritime Organization (IMO) amended the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regarding weight verification requirements July 1st, 2016. As the SOLAS Convention is a mandatory global law, these amendments will apply to most containerized maritime shipping and will have an impact on operational practices globally. The regulations require the shippers of all containers to provide a weight certificate showing the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of the container and its contents to the carrier sufficiently in advance of vessel loading so it can be used in the preparation of the vessel. The requirement will protect vessel and terminal operators. No containerized cargo will be loaded on a vessel unless the shipper has provided a signed weight verification to the carrier. ‍ What is SOLAS? SOLAS is an international maritime safety treaty designed to ensure that ships comply with minimum safety standards in construction, equipment and operation. With the first ever version of the treaty passed in response to the sinking of the Titanic in 1914, SOLAS in itself is not new. However, the introduction of mandatory verification of shippers’ declared container weights now requires all containers to be weighed before being shipped. JAS VGM WEIGHT CERTIFICATES JAS has created a weight certificate for submitting VGM information for full-container-load (FCL) cargo and a separate weight certificate for less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo. For FCL shipments, the certificate must provide: Booking number Date of verification VGM per container (cargo weight, loading material/pallets/skids, dunnage, securing material, tare weight of container) Method of obtaining the VGM (Method 1 or Method 2) Signature (name in capital letters for EDI) of person authorized by shipper and company details Additional information and/or documents, if any as required by relevant state (government) authorities. ‍ For LCL shipments, a certificate is not required. It is assumed that the weight of any given LCL shipment, as submitted to JAS by you/on your behalf, is true and accurate.Unless specifically requested, LCL cargo will not be weighed at the CFS. Upon completion of the consolidation, in case the VGM exceeds the maximum payload of the container, all relevant reloading and weighing costs of the individual shipments and transport costs will be charged to the party or parties who have mis-declared the weight. For the sake of due diligence, JAS will conduct spot checks on individual shipments upon receipt at CFS (Container Freight Station). ‍ ‍NOTE: For LCL shipments, a certificate is not required. We assume that the weight of any given LCL shipment, as submitted to us by you/on your behalf, is true and accurate. Unless specifically requested, LCL cargo will not be weighed at the CFS. Upon completion of the consolidation, In case the VGM exceeds the maximum payload of the container, all relevant reloading and weighing costs of the individual shipments and transport costs will be charged to the party or parties who have mis-declared the weight For the sake of due diligence, we will be performing spot checks on individual shipments upon receipt at our CFS'. JAS is working closely with our partner carriers and e-commerce partners in order to have efficient and reliable global communication standards and processes in place. JAS Worldwide takes safety and compliance with all relevant regulations very seriously and we rely on you to assist us in this process. ‍ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE VERIFIED GROSS MASS (VGM)? WHAT ARE THE ISSUES AND PENALTIES IF VGM IS MISSING? IS THERE A DEADLINE FOR PROVIDING THE VGM? HOW TO DETERMINE THE VGM? RESOURCES ‍WSC Regional Implementation Information World Shipping Council Guidelines (PDF) IMO MSC VGM Guideline (PDF) World Shipping Council Container Weight SOLAS VGM Industry FAQ‍ People are talking about JAS* *Actual Customer Comments "I thank you for all your dedication on our business! Trust a long term Business partnership between the two companies are ahead of us.” SangGu Lee Surgical Pharmaceuticals Korea "Many thanks for your reporting on a daily basis - excellent service" Mathilda S. 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