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We will be ready for weighing rules, says Felixstowe

[ February 10, 2016   //   Chris ]

The Port of Felixstowe says that it will offer a container weighing service before new international rules come into force on 1 July but has not said how it will be carried out. From that date, an amendment to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention will require every export container carrying cargo to have its weight verified before being loaded on board ship.

However, there has been widespread concern at the apparent lack of preparedness by ports for the new rules, which have the potential to seriously disrupt the global supply chain.

The service at the port will be available to containers arriving either by road or rail.

Felixstowe’s chief operating officer, Stephen Abraham, said: “We have met with many customers and from their feedback it is clear that there is still a lot of uncertainty amongst exporters about the new rules.

“The rules have the potential to cause significant disruption to export supply chains. To help avoid this, we have decided to provide a service where export containers can be weighed at the port before being loaded. We will provide further details about how the weighing service will work in good time to ensure all exporters can be compliant by the time the new rules come into force.”

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