CargoSmart to offer free SOLAS VGM data solution

The shipment management software provider will offer the verified gross mass submission tool free when booking or shipping instructions are filed through the company’s platform.    The shipment management software provider CargoSmart on Tuesday said it will offer free solutions for shippers to provide the verified gross mass of their cargo to their carriers to comply with a forthcoming rule from the International Maritime Organization.
   The rule, due to go into effect July 1, is an amendment to the IMO’s Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. It requires global shippers, as well as forwarders named on the master bill of lading, to provide a verified gross mass of each container, including the cargo contents and the weight of the container, before it is loaded on a vessel.
   Shippers that submit their booking requests or shipping instructions through CargoSmart qualify to submit the corresponding VGMs to their carriers through the company’s platform at no charge. The company said it will also offer its VGM solutions to shippers who do not submit booking requests or shipping instructions through CargoSmart.
   CargoSmart said it is working with more than 70 ocean container carriers and terminals to provide shippers with flexible and integrated solutions to manage the VGM submission process. According to the IMO guideline, the VGM must be submitted to carriers so that they can pass the information on to terminal operators to properly plan stowage.
   “Shippers may need extra time and incur costs to obtain the cargo weight, determine the container tare weight, verify the weight, and submit the information to ocean carriers in a timely manner,” the software provider said.
   If the VGM is not provided by carriers’ cut-off times, cargo may be held at the port of loading. In a recent CargoSmart customer survey, more than two-thirds of the 820 respondents indicated that the extra process of obtaining the verified weight will present the biggest challenge to comply, while 24 percent of the respondents indicated submitting the VGM in a timely manner will be the biggest challenge.
   CargoSmart’s platform offers shippers and their designated submission parties multiple channels to submit the VGM to their carriers. Shippers can submit the VGM information with their shipping instructions or in a separate VGM message (VERMAS) through online, EDI, or mobile platforms. The company will provide visibility to a shipment’s current VGM submission status to enable shippers to manage timely submission more effectively.
   “By offering free VGM solutions with multiple submission channels and a dashboard, we will help shippers minimize changes to their existing shipping execution processes, control costs for complying with the new requirements, and provide clear visibility to submission status,” said Lionel Louie, chief commercial officer of CargoSmart.
   CargoSmart added that the solution allows shippers to seek help from other parties to submit the VGM information through its platform, so that shippers can integrate the VGM submission into their existing shipping execution processes seamlessly.
   CargoSmart recently created a discussion group on LinkedIn called “SOLAS – New VGM Requirement.” The online group shares views and updates on the requirements and currently has more than 300 members.
   Last month, another ocean freight booking platform, INTTRA, unveiled its own eVGM product.