MSC and INTTRA enter into a new digital partnership to address SOLAS VGM requirements

With only three months to go before the mandatory changes instituted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) come into force, MSC has announced that it has entered into a partnership with INTTRA.

As noted here recently, INTTRA’s eVGM software is designed as a channel for receiving verified gross mass (VGM) submissions from shippers.

“We are pleased to partner with INTTRA to implement their innovative ‘eVGM’ software on a global basis,” said Fabio Catassi, Chief Technology Officer of MSC. “INTTRA’s eVGM tool will help us to continue to provide superior customer service and make it as easy as possible for our clients to submit VGMs digitally.  We believe this tool will help minimize potential disruption to our customers’ shipments and additional costs associated with terminal storage or transportation.”

In addition, MSC has joined INTTRA’s eVGM Initiative - a non-commercial group of over a dozen leading carriers, freight forwarders, and terminals. INTTRA launched the Initiative to express a preference for digital transmission of VGM and establish common technology and business process standards for it across the industry.

Common standards for VGM submission are essential to the industry’s efforts to reduce the cost and disruption resulting from the implementation of the new amendment. MSC is joining the eVGM Initiative to share its expertise and help the shipping community continuously refine eVGM messaging standards.

“We are happy to partner with MSC in globally adopting INTTRA’s eVGM for Carriers platform, and we appreciate that they are adding their expertise to the eVGM Initiative,” said INTTRA CEO John Fay.  “MSC is taking a strategic step to embrace our eVGM solution on a large scale and is an early leader in using technology to resolve the changes that SOLAS VGM has created for the industry. “

INTTRA’s eVGM software - available in two versions, for Carriers and Shippers - offers the benefits of a standardized approach, a high level of flexibility and reporting capabilities. It helps to achieve SOLAS VGM compliance in time for implementation of the amendment and reduce disruption to existing business processes. It can also facilitate transmission of VGMs from carriers to terminals - another step required before a container can be loaded - and provide the necessary audit reporting.

INTTRA eVGM for Shippers is designed to enable timely submission of VGMs to carriers, whether or not shippers book containers or submit shipping instructions through INTTRA.  Both services will be offered in a range of EDI and Web service formats, and accommodate eVGM submission via email.