❔ 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:
- Weighing the packed container and all its contents using certified equipment. Trucks generally utilise weigh bridges as a means of calculating this.
- 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