Newsroom Blog
Weight checks
By Lloyds List Comment
Tuesday 9 February 2010
SHOULD shippers that provide inaccurate cargo information be named and shamed? Is now the time to start making a public example of those who regularly misdeclare either the contents or weight of a container?
It would have been hard to imagine either ocean carriers or terminal operators confronting their customers last year when business conditions were so grim. But with ship capacity tight as demand picks up and operators keep a firm grip on supply, leaving some shippers scrambling to find space, perhaps this is the moment to begin confronting the matter head-on.
Verifying whether a container’s cargo has been properly labelled is well nigh impossible, except in the event of a mishap. But checking the weight is far more feasible, with any number of ways in which this can be done well before the box is about to be loaded onto a ship. It is for terminal operators and lines to agree what should be weighed, and when, and this will vary from port to port, and country to country.
The big question after that is to decide what to do about serial offenders whose shipments regularly appear to be under or over the declared weight. Either poses risks for those handling the containers, and for vessel stability.
This should not be considered a third world problem. Remember, investigators found plenty of misdeclared containers on the MSC Napoli that had been loaded in northern Europe. The weights of 20% of the 660 boxes stowed on the deck of the ship that had remained dry were found to be more than three tonnes different from their declared weights. One was 20 tonnes heavier than it should have been.
Shipper bodies have given their full support to industry efforts to stamp out bad practices, but organisations such as the cargo handling association ICHCA, and transport insurer TT Club, know that problems still persist. So perhaps a more gloves-off approach is needed. That could mean refusing to handle wrongly documented containers and naming the transgressors who regularly flout the rules.
Post your comment
Recent activity
- A pleasant suprise
- A force to reckon with
- Enough is enough
- Yuan debate
- Time for greater...
- IMO should be more open
- Case for restraint
- A code with added clout
- Trading blows
- US national divisions
- Ireland must pay its dues
- The benefit of...
- Chinese tax puzzle
- New York IPO revival?
- First class or economy?
- Prosecuting pirates
- Box lines under scrutiny
- Ideas in demand
- Worldscale enigma
- Endangered shipyards
- Time is money
- Boxed in by bailouts
- The need for caution
- Play fair on pay
- Fast or slow?
- China warms to Arctic...
- Working to rules
- CMA CGM's confession
