New regulation to make container vessels safer

From the 1st of July the new VGM or Verified Gross Mass regulation comes into force. This means that all container vessels must carry a document from the cargo owner declaring the export containers weight. What a vessel is laden with is known but what it actually weighs is not always been consistent with reality. The cargo can affect the vessels weight and balance which can lead to accidents at sea.

The purpose of the new regulation is to minimize the risk of accidents and breakdowns at sea as a result that the weight of the vessel has not been properly declared. The new regulation is a complement to SOLAS, the Safety of Life at Sea Convention. This means that Port of Södertälje cannot load a container for export without a signed document declaring its true weight before it even arrives at the terminal. Concerns have been raised about what happens when an export container arrives without this document.

- We have been asked if we can weigh a container here at port, says Per Fredman, sales manager at Port of Södertälje. We can in fact weigh a container, for a fee. The Port must first receive a request from the containers owner in order complete a weight document in their name. However, the responsibility for a verified weight that is correct always lies with the container owner who also stands for any eventual costs that may arise.