VGM

Executive editor Patrick Burnson and a panel of ocean shipping analysts examine the range of flexibility in the methods available to shippers and forwarders and what kind of strategies should be put in place now.

As of July 1, only containers with a verified gross mass will be cleared to be loaded onto a ship under the International Maritime Organization’s Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Verified Gross Mass (VGM) amendment. Shippers hoping that the implementation of the ruling will be delayed or deferred are whistling in the dark, say industry analysts.