THERE'S BEEN a further plea from the clearing & forwarding industry regarding accuracy of mass information on ocean bills of lading (OBL).
Please try to ensure that the tare mass of containers is included on the OBL along with the cargo mass to prevent your boxes being detained by customs.
This is a repeat of last August's request from Vivian Ramawtar of LEP Africa - when he originally highlighted these incomplete bills. The omission leads to inexperienced customs checking officials being unable to calculate the gross mass of the consignment, and customs detaining these containers for mass verification, said Ramawtar. It's a problem that can be avoided if ships agents ensure that the tare mass is included.
The reason for the repeated request? OBLs are still coming through with incomplete mass details, and boxes are still being unnecessarily delayed.
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