Since 01.07.2016 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) changed the international agreements for protection of human life at sea (shortly: SOLAS - Safety of Life at Sea) to improve safety at sea and minimize dangers while the sea freight transport. This means that the gross mass of a container (VGM - verified gross mass) has to be calculated before loading on ship - otherwise a shipment will not be possible any longer. One method for this is to weigh the fully loaded container on a suitable weighing station (certified scale of accuracy class 3).
The demands on the weighing stations are as follows:
- The scales must have a conformity assessment according to 2014/31 / EU.
- According to currently valid calibration law charge measurements for ships are not currently included in the law. Verification is therefore not required, but a regular calibration of scales by DAkkS is recommended. KERN is the ideal Partner for that.
- International unified rules for submission and the deadline of the submission of VGM are not given.
Date of this information is july 2016.