TPT gears up for container weighing deadline

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT)

is “confident” it will be able

to manage any operational

changes at all its container

ports when the International

Convention for the Safety of

Life at Sea (Solas) regulation

for mandatory container

weighing kicks in on July 1 this

year.

“Since we are working on

a pre-advice system and we

therefore won’t be weighing

containers at any of our

terminals, there won’t be

many changes at TPT,” said Dr

Darren Fraser, senior manager:

strategy at TPT.

He told FTW that the

biggest issue would be changes

that needed to be made to

the Navis central information

system to ensure it would be

able to capture the additional

information that was now

required at the ports by the

Solas regulation.

“We are currently working

on this with Navis – it is of

course a problem they are

facing on a global scale too –

and we are confident we will

be able to find a solution by the

July deadline,” said Fraser.

The new information

required by TPT includes

the weighing method,

verified gross mass (VGM)

information, a South African

Maritime Safety Association

VGM certificate number

(where applicable, depending

on the weighing method), and

the name of the designated

person/organisation that

conducted the weighing

process.

“It is fundamentally going

to be the responsibility of the

shipper to ensure they properly

communicate the information

required and the challenge

from our side will be ensuring

we receive the data timeously,”

commented Fraser, noting that

electronic communication was

therefore the “most logical” way

to go.

“Ideally the weighing

information should be

provided from the original

point of departure as well as it

minimises the risk of over- or

under-weight cargo travelling

to the port on the roads,” he

said.

In response to a question

about additional challenges

around cargo originating from

a neighbouring country, Fraser

pointed out that the pre-advice

system had been launched with

neighbouring countries about

three years ago. “This has been

working well with countries

such as Zimbabwe, Malawi

and Swaziland, so getting the

required Solas information

shouldn’t pose too much of a

problem,” he said.

TPT has, according to

Fraser, been working closely

with industry organisations –

including the Citrus Growers’

Association (CGA), the South

African Association of Freight

Forwarders (Saaff) and the

South African Association of

Ship Operators and Agents

(Saasoa) – since October last

year to “collectively discuss

challenges and iron out issues”.

TPT also holds a monthly

forum with its direct customers

to inform them of progress

with regard to the changes.

INSERT & CAPTION

It will be the

responsibility of the

shipper to ensure

they properly

communicate the

information required.

– Darren Fraser

CAPTION

TPT will not be responsible for weighing containers when the new Solas regulation kicks in

but will instead work on a pre-advice system.