The International Maritime Organization (IMO) 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 a series of three articles, Elizabeth Turnbull and Marcia Perucca look at the obligations placed on shippers, carriers and port terminals and how the industry is preparing for the change.

In this first article, they highlight the implications for shippers.

Background

With its 50-plus years of history, it is perhaps surprising that it is only this year that the container shipping industry will 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…