Freight News, Sea

SCPA’s Position on SOLAS Weight Requirements

[ May 16, 2016   //   Gary G Burrows ]

On April 29, the United States Coast Guard declared an Equivalency to Regulation VI/2 of the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

SOLAS is an international maritime safety treaty that is considered the most important treaty concerning maritime safety.

Under this regulation, South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) will provide this weight to the shipper or exporter.

SCPA commends this important step, the upshot of which recognizes the well-established practice at SCPA’s Port of Charleston of weighing all export containers consistent with 29 CFR 1918.85 (b) to determine an accurate container and cargo gross weight. The reason: SCPA officials believe it gives OCEMA container carrier members using its port a third method to comply with the SOLAS regulations. It provides the benefit of incorporating a tried and true “best practice” for safely handling containers on terminals and loading ships in ports that can provide this service.

The Port is willing to collaborate with our ocean carrier customers to achieve such a mutually beneficial solution.

“It has been our position all along that we have employed a best practice in safely loading ships in our port for the last 20 years due to our weighing of all export containers,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA President and CEO.  “We applaud the Coast Guard for recognizing this in its recent Declaration of Equivalency to the International Maritime Organization on the SOLAS regulations.”

Tags: SOLAS