Life after SOLAS VGM.. How has it been..??
It has been 1 year, 1 month & 29 days, or 13 months & 29 days, or 60 weeks & 5 days, or quite simply 425 days since SOLAS VGM was implemented on the 1st of July 2016..
Now it is time to review how has it been.. Read on..
To Tare or not to Tare – Should the VGM match the Bill of Lading Weight..??
A burning question that is circulating currently in the container industry is whether the Tare Weight of a container should be included in the weight shown in the Bill of Lading or not and whether the SOLAS VGM should match the Bill of Lading weight..
SOLAS VGM Method 2 – How it works in South Africa
SOLAS VGM Method 2 – How it works in South Africa.. An accredited 3rd party assessor’s view..
Update to SOLAS VGM – South Africa Version
This is an update to my previous article reg SOLAS VGM – South Africa Version with some crucial information shared from FTW Online..
SOLAS VGM – South Africa Version
An infographic about SOLAS VGM – South Africa Version.. How this will work in South Africa..
What is SOLAS VGM – Verified Gross Mass..??
In November 2014 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) amended SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea convention) Chapter VI Regulation 2 to tighten up the process of weighing containerised cargoes and declaring the correct weights after verification..
What is this SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea convention) Chapter VI Regulation 2 and what does this amendment mean to the day to day shipping industry..??
This article gives you an infographic which will clear it all.. 🙂
Which will be the first shipping line to have 100% smart containers..??
How would you like your entire container fleet to be made up of smart containers..?? It is a reality and a possiblity..
If you are a shipping line operating at least 1 service and have no more than 150,000 containers, you can enter a competition to convert your shipping containers into smart containers..
No this is not a myth or a joke..
Maersk Line clamps down on container misdeclaration
Misdeclaration in weight or misdeclaration of hazardous content has been the bane of the shipping industry and the carriers who have suffered several consequences due to misdeclarations..
When such misdeclarations are done, it does not just affect the ship, the carrier involved and the person who chose to misdeclare their cargo.. These misdeclarations result in cargo damage and affect everyone else’s cargo, especially when entire ships are lost..
Millions of dollars worth of goods and assets are lost due to this, not to mention the huge impact on the environment and the loss of life (human or otherwise)..
IMO and other stakeholders took these misdeclarations seriously and SOLAS VGM came into effect.. Life after SOLAS VGM seems to be hunky dory and no major incidents have been reported in relation to weight misdeclarations..
However, the recent spate of maritime disasters is causing some worries to the container lines.. Having had first-hand experience with such misdeclarations and maritime disasters, the world’s largest container line – Maersk Line – has put its foot down on these misdeclared cargoes..
Who pays what charges in a sea freight shipment
In any trade transaction, there are two parties – the buyer and the seller.. When it comes to a sea freight shipment, either one or both of them may end up paying different sets of charges to different entities..
Not just for newcomers to the business of exporting and importing, this question sometimes perplexes many already in the business..
In this article I dissect this process to explain who pays what charges in sea freight shipment..
So who pays what charges in a sea freight shipment..??
Said to Contain clause – should it be allowed or not..??
We all have seen the clause SAID TO CONTAIN or STC in a Bill of Lading issued for an FCL shipment.. What does it mean and should the Said To Contain clause be allowed or not..??
Join the discussion in this article on whether the Said To Contain clause should be allowed or not in the bill of lading and if you are a carrier that is not showing the Said To Contain on your bill of lading, how do you protect yourself from possible claims relating to shortage of cargo..
Are the clauses Said To Contain and Shipper’s Load Stow and Count interchangeable..??