Shippers Council cautions importers
The Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) will from July 1, 2016 require all importers to compulsorily weigh, certify and declare the weight of stuffed containers to shipping lines and terminal operators before they can be loaded aboard vessels.
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It follows the amendments to Chapter VI of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, 1974, which makes it compulsory for exporters to weigh and declare contents of such containers.
The enforcement of the regulation, according to the Public Relations Manager of the Shippers Authority, Mr Fred Asiedu-Dartey, was born out of many years of maritime incidents and accidents which had led to a considerable number of containers being lost at sea, thus posing safety hazards for vessels.
“The search for the causes and probable solutions to this menace showed that 'misdeclared container weight, discrepancy between the actual weight of a container loaded for export and the declared weight in the cargo manifest were a major contributory factor,” Mr Asiedu Dartey told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Industry Response
The implementation of the regulation, Mr Asiedu-Dartey said, was the maritime industry's response to ensuring the safety of the vessels and workers, both on board and ashore, as well as cargo and the overall safety at sea.
“In the light of the above, exporters are required to verify the gross mass of their packed containers and communicate it in their shipping documents sufficiently in advance to the shipping line and terminal operator for the preparation of the stowage plan,” Mr Asiedu-Dartey advised.
Failure to meet the above conditions, he said, would be a sufficient basis for a container not to be loaded onto the ship, with all its attendant costs and delays.
Container Weight
The verification of container weights, Mr Asiedu Dartey said, could be done by weighing the packed container upon completion of loading and sealing, or weighing all packages and cargo items, including all packing and securing equipment, so as to get the gross mass of the container.
He added that a certifying system had been put in place under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport to ensure that all export containers were correctly weighed and certified at designated locations, in compliance with the IMO Regulation.
“Carriers would only be allowed to load containers with certified container weight verification documentations,” he warned
Sensitisation
The Shippers' Authority, Mr Asiedu-Dartey said, was rolling out a comprehensive programme of sensitisation on the implementation procedure among shippers and other stakeholders across the country to ensure a smooth and successful take-off of the implementation plan.
“We are collaborating with other stakeholders in the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and the appropriate systems to facilitate the implementation,” he said.
Effective July 1, 2016, exporters would be required to compulsorily weigh, certify and declared the weight of stuffed containers being exported out of the country.
The new regime was born out of many years of maritime incidents and accidents which had led to a considerable number of containers being lost at sea, thus posing safety hazards for vessels, the Ghana Shippers Authority has said.
“Carriers would only be allowed to load containers with certified container weight verification documentations”.