Shippers welcome latest news from U.S. Coast Guard on SOLAS

Shippers and other ocean cargo carrier stakeholders should be cheering the announcement made today by The U.S. Coast Guard, as it formally notified the International Maritime Organization through a Declaration of Equivalency that the United States position on SOLAS is that there are multiple methods to submit the combined cargo and container weight (Verified Gross Mass or VGM).

The Marine Safety Information Bulletin describing the Equivalency provides two specific examples: 1. terminal weighing (as is being proposed by Charleston) and 2.  the method the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) has proposed for months, which they call the “Rational Method”, whereby the shipper verifies the weight of the cargo and packing material, “and the container’s tare weight is provided and verified by the carrier.”

According to the AgTC, this means that responsibility to submit VGM is not entirely on the shipper and the OCEMA/carrier “Best Practices- Method 1 and 2” are not the only means of compliance.

Most importantly from the AgTC perspective, it frees individual ocean carriers to develop -  in concert with their customers - means of compliance that make economic and operational sense for both.

“Today’s Coast Guard action permits, but does not require carriers to act independently in their own interests, however the AgTC strongly encourages them to do so, and remains available to facilitate such dialogue,” AgTC leadership told its members.