SOLAS Updated Information
Effective July 1st, 2016, a new regulation from SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) takes effect requiring shippers whose name appears on the bill of lading to verify the gross mass (VGM) of a container carrying cargo.
This declaration (see attached) must be received before in gating the container or containers. Such declaration must be submitted to the carrier via web portal, EDI, or manual submission prior to the VGM cut off, with the electronic submission widely regarded as the most efficient. VGM cutoff times will vary by port & carrier. Many carriers have advised they will apply a “no VGM, no load” policy from July 1st, 2016.
Submission of VGM can be done by the shipper or freight forwarder. Thunderbolt can submit on your behalf, however we would require the completion of the attached VGM declaration once the cargo loading process has been completed. Applicable fees may be associated with this submission.
For further information regarding SOLAS guidelines & requirements refer to our May 24th, 2016 post below.