With implementation of a new global container weight requirement less than a month away, global carrier United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has extended its partnership with ocean shipping electronic marketplace INTTRA, to use the INTTRA eVGM Service as a channel to facilitate compliance with the new rule.
As of July 1, under the International Maritime Organization's Safety of Life at Sea Verified Gross Mass amendment (SOLAS VGM) as adopted, every container must have a certified weight in order to gain clearance to be loaded onto a ship.
Designed to support multiple weighing and container packing scenarios with a range of communications methods, the INTTRA eVGM Service provides the operational capabilities for digital submission, receipt, processing and auditing of SOLAS-compliant VGMs.
“We have always believed in providing our customers with solutions that suit their preference. In our partnership with INTTRA on this SOLAS compliance initiative, we reiterate this commitment,” said Vijay Minocha, Global Head Customer Service and Ecommerce at UASC.
“We are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with UASC in e-commerce to VGM compliance,” said Inna Kuznetsova, INTTRA's President and Chief Operating Officer. “Giving preference to digital submission of VGMs and providing UASC customers with an opportunity to standardize their submissions will create a foundation for excellent customer service.”
In December 2015, UASC became a founding member of the noncommercial INTTRA eVGM Alliance, which has worked to help the industry address the challenges of SOLAS VGM through a standardized, digital approach.