National awareness seminar by Shippers’ Academy Colombo

The Shippers Academy Colombo (SAC) will hold a seminar on the operational aspects of container weight verification on 28 April from 3 p.m. onwards at the Sri Lanka Foundation.

Effective 1 July, any shipping container leaving from any port in the world must be accompanied by a shipping document signed either electronically or in hard copy by the shipper on the bill of lading listing the verified gross mass of a container in order to be loaded onto a ship. 

The container weight mandate from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention comes after misdeclared weights contributed to maritime casualties such as the breakup and subsequent beaching of the MSC Napoli on the southern UK coast in 2007 and the partial capsizing of a feeder ship in the Spanish port of Algeciras in June, 2015.

It will be less than 3 months before regulations on the mandatory weighing of containers in the supply chain come into force. The objective of the IMO is simple and it is to have the verified container weight before the container is loaded on to the vessel. However, in such close proximity to the new legislation being implemented, more accurate details are needed about how this will work in practice and ensure a smooth transition of this new legislation. 

At the Shippers’ Academy  seminar, experts will help delegates navigate through this complicated regulations that will affect the whole industry and provide unmatchable advice on SOLAS Chapter V1 Part A, Regulation 2 amendment which takes effect on 1 July in 170 counties around the world.

Key issues covered at the seminar will include: What different aspects of these new regulations the industry need to be aware of; Who is responsible for the correct weighing of the container; What weighing methods are available to the industry to ensure they meet the verifications; What types of containers fall under the legislation; Should any further types of containers be included; Should any be excluded from current legislation; What equipment certification issues have and are being faced in implementing container weighing; Whereabouts in the terminal should the weighing take place to not cause further delays; Are there any opportunities for terminals to deliver additional revenue though these new regulations; What input to be given to the government from the trade for new regulation in Sri Lanka; How will it affect FCL and LCL shipments; What are other countries doing; How will it affect shippers and cargo forwarders, consolidators; The responsibility and roles of the carriers, terminals, CFS; 

What are the truckers’ responsibility; and Who should pay and at what operational and certification cost.

Please register by visiting www.shippersacademy.lk and filling the form or tel: 0773820703 /0113560844, email: [email protected], fax: 0112874065/0112472535. Tickets are available at SAC office @ 105, Hunupitiya Lake Road, Colombo 2.