Strainstall, a provider of container weighing systems and part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has successfully achieved full Automatic Weighing Instruments EU-type approval from the National Measurements and Regulatory Office (NMRO) for its Container Weight System (CWS).
Strainstall’s CWS EU-type approval enables complete compliance to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) amendment for the verification of container weights, which came into force 1 July 2016.
This is a critical milestone in the product’s development as CWS is now fully approved to provide the verified gross mass (VGM) of containers, assisting ports and terminals in the provision of container weighing services to their customers.
Strainstall’s CWS solution was specifically developed to meet the SOLAS container weight verification regulations and has been successfully installed at a number of international container terminals, including DP World Southampton’s full straddle carrier fleet, where the system has demonstrated its high accuracy in excess of industry expectations.
Simon Everett, Managing Director at Strainstall, said: “The NMRO approval process certifies full compliance to the IMO’s SOLAS amendment for the verification of container weights, and I’m delighted that CWS now has EU-type approval.”
Strainstall claims that CWS offers customers a fully compliant and robust solution and is designed to be easily integrated into terminal operating systems (TOS).
According to the company, this gives it “a simple and automated process for producing a verified gross mass for SOLAS compliance, with no impact to existing terminal operating procedures”.
CWS also provides container snag detection and its centre of gravity (COG) to ensure the safety of container stowage and transportation.
Everett added: “The industry is still experiencing some issues with implementation and enforcement, so this certification will help to give customers complete confidence in compliance and their ability to provide verified weights as legislated by the IMO, using our innovative and fully integrated container weighing solution.”
