Port Everglades Equipped for SOLAS Weight Verification
Terminal operators at Broward County's Port Everglades say they are already equipped to help shippers handle the new international container weight verification requirements that go into effect on July 1, 2016.
Certified scales are available at several locations throughout Port Everglades to use to weigh export containers. Ocean shippers are encouraged to confirm availability and fees with their contracted marine terminal operators for compliance with the new verified gross mass (VGM) requirements.
"On-port scales, which have already been certified by the state, should help shippers meet the new requirements without services delays," said Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steve Cernak. "There are still concerns about the new requirements, but the availability of scales at Port Everglades should not be one of them."
The International Maritime Organization approved new container weight verification rules to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) that go into effect on July 1, 2016. The new rules require the shipper of a packed container, regardless of who packed the container, to verify and provide the container's gross verified weight to the ocean carrier and port terminal representative prior to it being loaded onto a ship. A verified container weight is a condition for loading a packed container aboard a vessel for export. The vessel operator and the terminal operator are required to use verified container weights in vessel stowage plans and are prohibited from loading a packed container aboard a vessel for export if the container does not have a verified container weight.
At the crossroads of north-south and east-west trade, Broward County's Port Everglades is Florida's leading container port, handling more than one million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry standard measurement for container volumes) and serving as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world's largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of 110 million visitors statewide and 6.7 million residents within an 80-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway's 43-acre intermodal container transfer facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic.
