The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has joined the European organisations representing Shippers, Freight Forwarders and Terminal Operators in the call on national authorities to avoid any disruption in the logistics chain and to take action in coordination to preserve level playing field when implementing the new container weighing rule.
To ensure that the implementation of the new legal requirements do not not create competition distortion through a patchwork of varying national measures, Member States should pursue a coordinated approach, taking into consideration the national guidelines of other Member States when deciding on national rules.
Commonly accepted guidelines between supply chain actors and national authorities could minimise distortion of competition and ensure smooth functioning of the SOLAS requirements.
Being only two months away from the entry into force of the SOLAS convention, Member States should bring clarity as soon as possible.
In November, 2014, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreed upon rules for the mandatory weighing of all sea-bound containers to be loaded on a vessel.
However, much confusion has followed, since there has not been any clear guideline as to how ports, terminals and shippers can effectively implement measures for declaring the verified gross mass of a container.
DP World is the first port and terminal operator to announce that it is ready to implement the new rule across its portfolio of global container terminals.
Strainstall recently announced that it has launched a portable container weighing system to help container shippers comply with the new rule.
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Must-watch: Strainstall on how global ports and terminals can react to the container weighing mandate:
