Industry found unprepared for SOLAS weighing rule

摘要

The majority of shippers and logistics providers in a CargoSmart survey had no plans to comply with the new container weight rule that will be in effect from 1 July, and Drewry Shipping Consultants has found that none of 20 non-vessel operators (NVOs) involved in an April tender process is ready to comply. The findings were received a little more than two months before the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) amendment's global rollout, and they give a disturbing picture of an industry heading for trouble. Drewry has even urged container exporters to plan for likely port and logistics delays from 1 July. "Many of the stakeholders are not only too late in communicating how shippers and NVOs can meet their new obligation of declaring a verified gross mass (VGM), but there is a complete lack of standardisation and co-ordination," Drewry said in a briefing.