Recently we reported that, as from 1st July 2016, strict new rules are to apply to the declaration of exact, verified container weights on shipping documents, placing the onus for correctness on shippers. These controversial rules are to be implemented by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) under the SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) convention. However, major resistance is emerging from U.S. exporters, who have now woken up to the impacts of the change. In fact questions are being raised worldwide as to the validity of methods to be applied in verifying weights, as well as who takes responsibility for what.
The main issue is that shippers, as well as forwarders and shipping lines, seem to need more time to prepare for compliance with the regulations. There are industry calls in the USA for the government to delay the implementation by at least one year, which is bound to increase pressure on the U.S. Coast Guard to at least extend the deadline past 1st July, if they are to avoid potential trade disruption. We at Colless Young encourage our clients to continue to assume that the regulations will in fact commence on the target date, and we will keep you posted if there is any deferment.
