by Hobbs • 28 AUG 2025

❔ The Did You Knows? ❓VGM - Verified Gross Mass

Have you ever wondered how a shipping vessel maintains its stability while at sea with all those heavy containers on board? There is a sizeable amount of planning that goes into protecting vessel stability, preventing stack collapses and ensuring the safety of port and dock workers.

Verified Gross Mass or VGM is the total weight of a packed shipping container, verified by the shipper as required by International Maritime Organizations (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations. This mandatory requirement which came into effect internationally in July 2016, ensures the safe loading of containers onto vessels by preventing accidents caused by overweight or incorrectly declared containers.

There are two generally accepted methods of declaring a VGM:

  1. Weighing the packed container and all its contents using certified equipment. Trucks generally utilise weigh bridges as a means of calculating this.
  2. Weighing the cargo (goods weight), dunnage (packaging weight) and empty container (tare weight) separately and then summing these weights to calculate the container's total gross mass.

But who is responsible for declaring the VGM?

The shipper is legally responsible for providing the accurate VGM for each and every packed container delivered to the shipping line.

No packed container is allowed to be loaded onto a ship unless a VGM has been provided.

A missing or incorrect VGM declaration can lead to rejections and delays of containers loading a vessel. This may result in a container being rolled to the next sailing. Subsequently, additional charges may apply in the form of storage, demurrage, rebooking fees, and/or emergency weighing at the terminal.

Fines, penalties, insurance validity complications as well as legal action can also be the result of serious VGM compliance issues. It is important from a health and safety perspective to ensure all those operating at sea and around shipping vessels remain safe.

If you have any questions, or need help completing a VGM for your export container(s), please reach out to the Hobbs Global Team; 📨 info@hobbsglobal.co.nz

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The Did You Knows? Sea Container Demurrage and Detention - New Zealand

Container free time appears in two types, demurrage and detention. Demurrage - the time containers are allowed on the NZ Port prior to carrier collection (or drop off in the case of exports).  Imports: Free time for general cargo is 3 calendar days on imports from the time the container is offloaded from the ship and the import vessel has departed. Times are generally rounded to 6am of the 4th calendar day (public holidays etc are regarded as full business days unless otherwise stipulated).  For Dangerous Goods (DG) cargo, free time is 24 hours from the time the container is offloaded from the ship and the import vessel has departed.  Exports: Free time for general cargo is 7 calendar days on exports from the time the container is delivered to the port until the arrival of the intended export vessel. Note; if a vessel is delayed in arrival pushing the ETA outside of the 7 calendar day window, demurrage will be incurred even though the original ETA was within the initial free time.  Containers delivered to or collected from the Port by carriers outside of this time period will incur demurrage charges by the Port of operation. Detention - the time containers are allowed to be available to the consignee (or consignor in the case of exports) prior to acceptance of the container to the Port of Export or Empty Container Dehire Yard for Imports.  Generally, this is 7 calendar days for most carriers by default to allow for loading/unloading, however this can be negotiated with shipping lines; please talk to the Hobbs Global Team to discuss this further.  Containers delivered to the Port of Export or the Empty Container Dehire Yard outside of this time period will incur charges by the Shipping Line.  Both demurrage and detention charges are used as a means to encourage container and operational turnover, to minimise Port backlogs/congestion and ensure containers are readily available for reuse where applicable.  If you'd like more information, or to discuss how demurrage and/or detention timings may affect your shipments, please get in contact with the Hobbs Global Team; info@hobbsglobal.co.nz.

by Hobbs • 21 AUG 2025

Cook Strait Ferry Sailings - Update

We have received notice this morning that the cancellations of ferry sailings across Cook Strait are continuing to cause delays in freight services moving between the North South Islands. Mechanical issues to the Kaiarahi (one of the ferries) have further contributed to delays and congestion. Carriers are working tirelessly to ensure freight is moved as quickly as possible and backlogs are cleared. At this stage, backlogs are likely to continue into early next week. Please expect delays and notify your customers accordingly. If you have any questions, reach out to the Hobbs Global Team. info@hobbsglobal.co.nz

by Hobbs • 20 AUG 2025