OCEANIA

NZ Authority moves on container weight verification

10 years ago

Maritime New Zealand has issued an advisory circular to aid exporters preparing for the pending mandatory adoption of container weight verification, as it works to develop a new domestic Maritime Rule for the amended Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS).

Addressing the SOLAS Method One provision for verification by weighing a packed container using calibrated and certified equipment, the circular noted the maximum scale interval of a Class III or Class IIII weighing instrument should not be greater than 50kg.

With regards to the Method Two provision, it outlined a five-step process to individually determine the weight of all cargo, packaging, pallets/securing materials/dunnage, container tare and packed container gross.

Additionally, it noted that containers shipped via Method Two would be subject to regular – either internally or externally – as part of a documented Quality Management System.

Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss this week also confirmed that officials were currently considering submissions made on the pending Maritime Rule and was expecting to receive advice “over the coming weeks” to inform a final decision.