During the IMO’s 96th Maritime Safety Committee session held on May 11-20, concerns were raised regarding the compliance of transhipped containers and the communication of VGM information for an initial period after entry into force of the regulation. This led the IMO to issue a circular calling for a “practical and pragmatic” approach when verifying compliance with the requirements of SOLAS regulations for a period of three months after July 1, 2016.
However, ICHCA clarifies that the SOLAS amendment itself has not been deferred for three months. It is still a requirement to obtain the VGM for the packed container either using method 1 or method 2 from July 1, 2016.
Both documents can be found on the ICHCA website.