- Container Weighing

SOLAS WEIGHT VERFICATION

We are the Authorized Distributor of Rice Lake Weighing Systems

Photo courtesy of Rice Lake Weighing

Container Weight Verification Solutions and Services for Ports Serving the Gulf of Mexico

The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty requires that all containers have a verified weight certificate before being loaded on to a ship. The containers Verified Gross Mass (VGM) must be communicated to the carrier/marine terminal, in accordance with their specified times and methods, and thereafter used in the ship stowage planning process. As a shipper you can achieve weight verification by one of the following methods below:

WEIGHT VERFICATION METHOD 1: Weigh the container and its contents on a calibrated and certified instrument such as a weighbridge, load cell system or other piece of suitable equipment.

WEIGHT VERFICATION METHOD 2: Weigh all of the cargo items being packed into the container along with dunnage, securing and lashing materials and the tare weight of the container and aggregate them together to arrive at an aggregated weight.

Estimating the weight of a container’s contents is not permitted.

Per the SOLAS international maritime safety treaty, all weighing equipment used to provide a verified weight must be calibrated and certified to meet the accuracy standards and requirements of the State (Country) in which the equipment is being used.

Download the World Shipping Council's presentation "Verification of container weights; background and new operational reality" delivered at The International Cargo Handling Coordination Association's container weighing seminar, September 2015, for further information.

Contact Us today to learn how we can assist you implementing and maintaining a SOLAS compliant and accurate weighing system for your port operations.

Our Solutions Include:

Approved Methods of Obtaining Verified Gross Mass (VGM)

Method 1

Method 2
  • Axle (In-Motion), Truck& Rail Scales*
  • Bench Scales*
  • Load Pins & Load Sensors
  • In-Line Pallet Scales *
  • Below-the-Hook Crane Scales*
  • Floor Scales*
  • Twist Lock Sensors (for Crane Spreaders)
  • Forklift Scales *
  • Container Jack Scales
  • Pallet Jack Scales*

*Legal for Trade/NTEP Certification

We offer high quality SOLAS compaint weighing equipment from these quality manufacturers and many others:

  • Conductix-Wampfler (Lasstec): Twistlock Load Sensing and Accident Prevention System

  • Intercomp: Weigh-In-Motion Strip Sensors for VGM, Weigh-In-Motion Axle Scales for VGM, Portable Wheel Load Scales, Crane Scales, & Tension Link Dynamometers

  • Rice Lake Weighing Systems/MSI: Twistlock Load Sensing, Load pins & sensors, Load cells, Crane Scales, Truck Scales, Rail Scales, In-Motion Pallet Scales, Bench Scales

  • Rinstrum: Weigh-In-Motion Axle Scales for VGM

  • Strainstall: Gauged twistlocks, Annular load cells – Strainstall patented technology (Container Weight System (CWS)™), Load pins. Load jacking sytems (Container Weight System™ Portable)

Contact Us today to learn how we can assist you implementing and maintaining a SOLAS compliant and accurate weighing system for your port operations.