Shipping authorities have accused ship owners of flouting the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO's) rules and regulations while loading containers, leading to serious incidents at sea. The unaccounted deviations in the gross mass of containers lead to stack collapses, damage to ships, cargo and the environment, and sometimes sinking of ships along with their cargo, Captain KM Jashimuddin Sarker, chief nautical surveyor of the shipping department, told The Independent yesterday.
Against this backdrop, the IMO had introduced a new rule for the verified gross mass (VGM) of containers before uploading them into ships. “The IMO had issued guidelines regarding the VGM of a container carrying cargo on June 9, 2014, by amending the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). It's mandatory for all the member countries under IMO,” Sarker said. Bangladesh introduced the VGM method for obtaining the accurate gross mass of containers from July 1, he added.
“IMO secretary general had issued Circular Letter No. 3624 on February 10 for creating awareness and effective implementation of the amended SOLAS regulation. It also issued advice to administrations, port state control authorities, companies, port terminals and masters regarding the SOLAS requirements for VGM of packed containers,” the shipping official said.
According to Sarker, the IMO guidelines are mandatory for ship owners, ship operators and managers, masters and officers of merchant ships, agents, charterers, cargo packers, cargo consolidators, hauliers, freight forwarders, shippers, consignors, training providers, inspectors of cargoes, port authorities, ICD and off-dock operators, terminal operators and others involved in transport of containers. The earlier regulations on the declaration of gross mass of containers did not always ensure a parity between the actual and the declared gross mass of the container, he said.
This occurred notwithstanding Regulation 2.3 of SOLAS Chapter VI that required shippers to ensure that the gross mass of the cargo unit was in accordance with the gross mass declared on the shipping documents, he added.
The chief nautical surveyor also said substantial deviations between the declared gross mass and the actual gross mass of containers resulted in several shipping casualties, as the actual weight distribution on board differed from the stowage plan of the ship. “It also resulted in economic losses, including supply chain disruptions, as containers scheduled for carriage could not be accepted due to the vessel reaching its permissible marks before the completion of loading on account of the deviation in gross mass of the containers,” Sarker explained. He said that the environmental and economic costs incurred due to deviations in the gross mass declaration of containers are passed down the supply chain, leading to greater costs for all concerned. “Considering all these issues, including the prime issue of safety at sea and pollution prevention, it was necessary to have a re-look at the earlier provisions. The IMO’s new guidelines would ensure safety of the crew members as well,” he added.