‘Get your transhipment ducks in a row now’

Shippers moving

transhipment containers

need to prepare for the

eventuality that they may

have containers at sea when

the new Safety of Life at Sea

(Solas) verified gross mass

(VGM) regulations come into

effect on July 1.

Kirsty Goodwin of the

South African Maritime

Safety Authority (Samsa) told

the Exporters’ Club Western

Cape that while containers

being transhipped until

July 1 would not need a

VGM certificate, it would be

required from that date on.

“So if you are going

to have containers in

transhipment after July 1 it

is best to plan in advance,”

she said. “This requires

that you either ensure

the weighing is done in

South Africa and the VGM

certificate is issued locally

prior to the container leaving,

or arrange to have it done in

one of the transhipment ports

after July 1.”

She said any containers –

even those that left for sea

before July 1 – would not

be loaded onto a vessel if a

verified container weight was

not provided to the carrier

and terminal operator once

the amended regulation

came into effect.