Signed I decree that fixed to criteria and norms for the obligatory weighing of the container



Yesterday the general commander of the Body of the Harbour offices - Guard Costiera, admiral Vincenzo Melone, has signed decrees managing 447/2016 that she dictates, from on July 1°, 2016, the criteria and the technical norms of application of new relative amendments SOLAS to safety of navigation in sea and the ships used after transport of the container. I decree previews a transient period until on June 30, 2017 finalized to a gradual implementation of the processes of weighing of the container and defining, for this period, the maximum limit of error in the first weighing pairs to 500 kilograms.

The general command of the Body of the Harbour offices has remembered that, as a result of numerous incidents that they have involved portacontainer because of the lack of a certainly relative data to the weight of the containers on board of the ships, the Committee Marine Safety (MSC) reunited in novantaquattresima the session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted resolution MSC. 380 (94) on November 21, 2014 that he has brought new amendments to the international Convention on the safeguard of the human life in sea (SOLAS 74) on the topic of the determination of the "verified gross mass of the container".

From on July 1°, 2016 the amendments to the international Convention will enter therefore in vigor that they preview, among other things, the obligatory weighing of the container, through the acquisition of the "gross mass of the container verified" - VGM (Rule VI/2 - Verified Gross Mass), before the boarding on ships employed in international travels.

I decree, introducing the tolerance concept on the criteria of weighing of the container and characterizing a transient period until on June 30, 2017, it specifies that, during such transient period, for the determination of the verified gross mass of the container they could be used also various instruments from those prescribed ones, provided that the maximum error is not advanced to two times and previewed means that for the same type of approved of instruments and, however, than it does not exceed the 500 kilograms. Moreover it is previewed during controls and verifications carried out after the first weighing a tolerance, for every container, pairs to 3% of the verified gross mass.

The predisposition of an explanatory circular is on and of detail on the descendent procedures from the application of I decree that it will deal of specific arguments.

The general command of the Body of the Harbour offices has emphasized that in European within, not being to us today a common position, Italy has carried out a role much assets in the search of a harmonized application of the international norm and, to such fine, in continuous and is directed contact with the other European administrations mainly interested to the traffic of the containers, which Holland, Denmark and Great Britain.