IAPH, WSC, ICS and BIMCO speed up the definition in center IMO of a procedure of weighing of the container



The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the World Shipping Council (WSC), the Maritime International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and BIMCO has sped up the International Organization (IMO) to modify convention SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), imposing which condition in order to on board load a full container with a ship that the ship and the port in which it happens the operation are to acquaintance of the effective weight of the container.

The four organizations have remembered that the topic is to the attention of the subcommittee Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers (DSC) of the IMO, that it will examine the issue in the course of its next reunion in program the next september.

"The weighing of the containers in order to confirm of their effective weight - it has found Geraldine Knatz, president of the IAPH and executive director of the Port of Los Angeles - constitutes the corrected operating procedure and of safety. There is a remarkable experience regarding such procedure in the United States that demonstrates that he is realizable on technological and commercial base. It is time - it has emphasized - to make of a total procedure of safety and our association will help its members to cooperate with the terminals operators in order to develop an adequate and effective procedure".

The general secretary of the ICS, Peter Hinchliffe, has received with satisfaction the support which reached from harbour association IAPH the initiative: "the tide - it has observed - is clearly mounting in support of this important improvement of marine safety". "To arrange of the weights effectives of the containers - the general secretary of the BIMCO, Torben Skaanild has confirmed - safety of the ships, safety in the ports improves on board and safety on the roads. Not there is a reasonable reason in order to continue to tolerate to voluntarily ignore boarded the real weight of the container. The support by IAPH to this initiative constitutes a positive step ahead".

"Today - president of WSC, Christopher Koch has explained - the loaders are legal obliged to supply the exact weight of the containers after them to have filled up of goods, but there are many cases in which their declarations on the weight they are roved. An incident that involves a roved declaration of the weight of the container can be translate in an assumption of responsibility for the loader and for which they enliven the container. The verification of the full weights of the container will reduce the errors and the risks and will contribute to make clarity regarding all the involved parts".