VGM - container weight
From 1 July 2016, in accordance with the new regulations, the container shipper is obliged to verify the weight of the containers before loading them onto the ship (SOLAS - Safety of Life at Sea Convention).
According to paragraph 2.1 of SOLAS regulations, the total weight of the container should be verified by the shipper using one of the two methods:
method 1 - by weighing a whole, full container using a certified or legalized measuring device,
method 2 - by weighing the entire contents of the container - goods, packaging, dunnage materials and adding the obtained weight to the tare weight of the container (the use of the above method will require approval of the Director of the Maritime Office).
The shipper is the entity indicated as "shipper" in the shipping bill issued by the entrepreneur, or the sea waybill, or other multimodal transport document and / or who has concluded a transport contract with the shipping company or on behalf of which such contract was concluded. The date by which the shipper should deliver to VGM will be set by the shipping carrier. Shipping lines should provide shippers with information on the correct tare weight of the container within the time limit enabling the shipper to correctly determine and deliver the VGM within the required time. The shipper cannot be held liable for incorrectly stated tare weight of the container by its owner. The permissible margin of error in determining the VGM was set at the level of +/- 5%.