What is Verified Gross Mass and SOLAS convention?

VGM came about as part of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention implemented by the International Maritime Organization of the UN. To protect and safeguard the life of seafarers and prevent accidents, IMO has decided that it is mandatory that shippers declare the VGM of their container as a condition for loading onto the vessel.

In short, verified gross mass (VGM, for short, sometimes referred to as verified gross weight) is the combined weight of an ocean shipment’s cargo, dunnage and bracing (material used to keep cargo in position in a ship’s hold), plus the tare weight of the container.

Verified Gross Mass (VGM) For Shipping

The Verified Gross Mass (VGM) is a fairly new concept introduced in the maritime industry. Container weight verification has now become a global requirement.
A new amendment was brought into force by IMO and introduced in SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) regulation VI/2, adopted by resolution MSC.380(94) which became effective on the 1st of July, 2016 that covers container weight regulations.

According to this new amendment, no container is allowed to be loaded on board the ship unless its Verified Gross Mass has been declared by the shipper to the shipboard personnel and/or to port representatives.

This has been a great initiative by the IMO. The implementation of this rule has helped to improve the safety of ships at sea and benefit shipboard personnel as well as personnel ashore involved in container handling.

What is VGM (Verified Gross Mass)? What is VGM shipping?

Verified gross mass (VGM, for short, sometimes referred to as verified gross weight) is the combined weight of an ocean shipment’s cargo, dunnage and bracing (material used to keep cargo in position in a ship’s hold), plus the tare weight of the container.

What is the verified gross weight requirement?      

As of July As of July 2016   
         

shippers of vessel-bound consignments must provide a VGM prior to shipment.


In regard to AIT customers, if you’re shipping a full container load, you must provide us with the VGM of the container and all of its contents. If you’re shipping less than a container load you must provide the weight of your cargo, including the mass of pallets, dunnage and other securing material.

Why do you need to report Verified Gross Mass?

The International Maritime Organization introduced the reporting of VGM in 2016 as part of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (or SOLAS). Reporting the VGM is crucial as incorrect weight declarations have resulted in accidents in the past. Incorrect weight declaration can compromise the safe transport of containers at sea and put the life of seafarers at risk.

By reporting VGM, you are helping carriers to reduce the amount of undeclared weight and have better stability calculations — reducing the potential risks to safe navigation. It also ensures your cargo is handled correctly on its journey!


Who is responsible for reporting Verified Gross Mass?

The shipper, named in the shipment’s Bill of Lading, is responsible for measuring and reporting the VGM of the container to the carrier and port terminals well in advance of loading on the vessel.

How do you calculate the Verified Gross Mass?

There are two ways to calculate the Verified Gross Mass of your container.

Method 1:

The first method for measuring VGM involves weighing the packed and sealed container with your cargo inside, using a calibrated and certified weighing bridge. These weighing stations can be located at port terminals or outside ports.                          
 
A note on this method is that if the container is weighed along with the road vehicle — which it quite often will be to get the cargo on the bridge, weighed and on the move again — then the weight of the truck and its fuel should be removed from the total weight.

Method 2:

The second method for measuring VGM involves adding the weight of all cargo items and contents of the container (that’s your packing, pallets, securing equipment) to the container’s tare weight (or total weight without contents). It is shown on the container’s safety approval plate (or CSC plate). This is printed on the side of the door of the containers in most cases.

What happens when VGM Is fraudulently or not reported?

For the shipping line stowage planners to plan the specific position of the container within the vessel, it is imperative that accurate VGM figure is provided. Accurate VGM information will prevent collapse of the container. If VGM is not accurate and the container is not stabilized on board, it will slip and in turn cause a snowball effect, causing all other nearby containers to collapse too.

Such an accident will cause damage to the chassis or parts of the vessel, and other container owners might lodge a lost cargo claim on you due to your negligence. Needless to say, there may be potential loss of life if the container hits the seafarer on board or cause the vessel to capsize. All these will impact your company’s revenue and earnings, so it is of utmost importance that VGM is declared accurately and in advance for safe loading onto the vessel.

How do I declare VGM and what is the cut-off time?

Usually, shippers can have two ways to declare VGM with the shipping line that they have contracted for the carriage of the container. First, shippers can send an EDI message to the shipping line with the VGM figure, or secondly, declare via service portals such as GT Nexus and Cargosmart. This might also be done on behalf for by your freight forwarder, so do check with your forwarder’s local office on the detailed procedures.

As a general guidance, the VGM should be received by the shipping line prior to the cargo gate cut-off timing. However, local authorities might have more stringent requirements so it is best to check with your shipping line’s local office. Also, terminals usually have a “No VGM, No Gate-in” policy.

Continue reading “What is Verified Gross Mass and SOLAS convention?”
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What are you most excited about for the future?

Islam education for my kids

Humans and education are two important issues in planning the growth, development and advancement of a country. The basic education for an individual starts with the teaching at home, school and the environment.

Children’s education is important in Islam. The importance of emphasising the development of children is a practice pioneered by Islamic scholars since ancient times based on the teaching of Islam that used Qur’an and Sunnah as their references. Parents today face with challenges in educating their children. They are required to ensure that their children are raised and given the education that covers the development of intellect, physical, spiritual, morals and social. Education can nurture the current and future generations to grow and be responsible to God, themselves, other people and the country. The aim of the present research was to examine about the effective approaches of children’s education in shaping a sustainable family according to Islamic references.

Therefore, there are three main things that need to be emphasised in shaping children and their souls in forming

a sustainable family which include strengthening of spiritual and worship activities, knowledge and noble values.

The reward will be worth it!” Here are some practical, family-bonding ideas for instilling a love for Islam in our children:

  • Pray together. …
  • Take them to the mosque. …
  • Organize Quran and Islamic story circles. …
  • Cook Iftar in Ramadan together. …
  • After Maghrib, go over a Qur’an verse or Hadith together.

Working

“I am most excited about collaborating and working towards something big— a common goal. Every day at work is an opportunity I have to contribute to the growth of the company. And this is what makes my day.

Self Confidence

Self-confidence is a trait that reflects in every area of our lives be it educational life, professional, and personal life. People talk about the importance of self-confidence all the time but do not realize the extent of its importance. We only realize the importance of self-confidence when there is a lack of self-confidence in a person and it affects negatively in different areas of life.

Confidence basically means to trust. When you say that you have full confidence in someone, it means that you trust them. Similarly, self-confidence means to trust oneself, trust one’s abilities. It is an ability to make yourself comfortable in different situations while remaining true to yourself. Believing in oneself while accepting the flaws and becoming better

Changing attitude

The way you choose to respond mirrors your attitude and so by changing your attitude you can change your perspective and change your life. Your attitude reflects the way you see the world and how you live in it. It affects every aspect of your life, your happiness, relationships, health, wellbeing.

Happiness family

family is important for happiness because it provides a sense of belonging, support, and love. Family can also offer a sense of stability during difficult times. While there are many other factors that contribute to happiness, family is a key ingredient.

3Ztask / National day 2020

Improving future financial

Saving

To save more money is the first step to be in a good financial shape. It allows you to handle unforeseen situations that may arise (such as appliances breaking down) more comfortably, and sets you up for your current and future economic situation. Saving can be made difficult by macroeconomic causes such as high inflation, where a generalised increase in costs limits people’s spending power. It is in these situations, or others produced by unforeseen circumstances, that it really helps to have a financial back-up through good money management. 

Despite the fact that saving is one of the most important goals, it is also often one of the most difficult to achieve. This is due in part to financial biases: those decisions that our brain makes automatically which pushes us to spend and seek immediate rewards, before thinking about the future consequences.

There are small changes you can make to your daily habits that can help you save. For example, set aside specific amounts for leisure activities in order to avoid spending too much; create a budget that identifies cash inflows (income) and outflows (expenses); cancel any unnecessary subscriptions; write a list when you go grocery shopping and do not deviate from it; or implement responsible consumption habits in your household. In regard to this point, these actions can include turning off the lights when you’re not at home or when it’s sunny outside, purchasing energy-efficient appliances or refurbishing them, as well as keeping appliances off when they’re not being used. All of these are good practices to help your wallet, your personal  savings and overall wellbeing (when faced with situations such as an energy crisis) and the environment

Decrease or pay off debt

There are assets that you often acquire through financing, such as a mortgage contract or taking out a loan to purchase a car. However, there are other situations in which financing is used to obtain products or services that are not necessary. Sometimes, financing the purchase of the most recent smartphone model or a holiday becomes a financial burden in the future, which is in part due to not having set a budget. Whatever the reason may be, when it comes to adequately managing debt, the important thing is to take into account your payment capacity. To be prepared for a potential adverse situation, such as a decrease in income, an unforeseen expense or an increase in the interest rate associated with these products is also a wise move.

To achieve the goal of reducing debt, the first step is to not take on more financial commitments and to avoid resorting to loans or credit cards as you regain control of your finances. The next step is to plan your debt payments based on your individual capacity. To do this there are alternatives, such as starting with smaller amounts or those that have the highest interest rates. 

Lastly, before resorting to external financing, it is recommended you ask yourself if the product or service you want to buy is absolutely necessary or if you could do it at another time. This also serves to execute the purchase when you have more money or when circumstances are more favourable, such as when the cost of financing is  lower due to lower interest rates.

Avoid minor expenses
There are a variety foes of frugality such as money spent daily without even realising. You might think that the don’t affect your finances given how small the amounts may be. This includes, among other things, expendable or unnecessary purchases, like buying a coffee on the way to work every morning, eating out every day or subscriptions to services or products you hardly ever use. As these amounts are so small, they can go unnoticed. Nevertheless, they add up and become a significant portion of your monthly spending.

In order to keep all of these ‘minor’ purchases under control, the first step is to be aware and recognise them, So, the next time you’re about to make such a purchase, it will be easier to decide whether you really need it or not. Another good idea is to make a list in order to differentiate between your needs/priorities and your wants/desires. You can use it, for example, when you go to the supermarket so you don’t spend too much, or at times when there’s the temptation to buy something unnecessary.

Earn extra income

Improving your financial health does not mean everything has to involve cutting back or not spending. It’s also possible to set goals that involve generating extra income. In doing so, it’s easier to seek out ways to balance spending and encourage saving. 

One possibility is to try out ideas based on collaborative economy platforms. There are a variety of apps that allow users to sell clothes, accessories, home appliances and other items you no longer use that could bring in some extra cash. These also promote more sustainable consumption and are good for the environment as they give a second life to the items sold.

Investing is another way to try to make additional income. Shares in various companies, investment funds, bonds or deposits, among other products, may also prove to be profitable. In this sense, a high-interest scenario is not always a bad thing: it can be advantageous if, instead of resorting to loans, you are the one allowing your savings to generate a return, regardless of the amount. These high interest rates will be beneficial to you if, for example, you have a savings account, as the bank will give you more money for your capital.

The most important thing to do before investing in anything at all is to make sure you are well informed. The right choice depends on factors such as your investor profile, the risk you’re willing to take and macroeconomic expectations.

Plan before you spend

Last but not least, part of improving your financial health is about planning. Just as it’s not recommended to spend for spending’s sake, you shouldn’t do the same with saving. You should concentrate on doing so in an organised and goal-oriented way. Having a good understanding of income and expenses is a great starting point to get on top of your personal finances.

To plan successfully, you will need to be realistic about your objectives. Setting goals that are difficult to achieve can be counterproductive. In addition, these sorts of goals are likely to leave you demotivated, frustrated and wanting to give up. We recommend that you review your goals every so often in order to see if you’re going in the right direction or need to take alternative actions.

Continue reading “What are you most excited about for the future?”

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