Small change, big impact

The International Maritime Organization has amended the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention to require that a packed container’s gross weight be verified before the container can be loaded on board a ship The new rule will come into force on 1 July 2016 and will apply globally. In this article, Elizabeth Turnbull and Marcia Perucca, of Clyde & Co, look at how the industry is preparing for the change

With its 60 years of history, it is perhaps surprising that the container shipping industry will only this year have a mandatory rule requiring the gross mass of a container to be verified before the container can be put on board a ship. Inaccurately declared container weight can cause container stacks to collapse presenting a risk of injury to personnel, damage to equipment and to cargo. It has also been considered an aggravating factor in significant casualties.