NCBFAA Outlines Hopes for FMC Facilitation of Industry VGM Discussions
In anticipation of the upcoming July 1 deadline for implementation of amendments to the Safety of the Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, the FMC should facilitate stakeholder conversations to reach agreement on matters including verified gross mass (VGM) calculation costs,…
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VGM protocols, and international, federal or state VGM requirements, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in a letter to FMC (here). The letter was written in response to an agreement filed with the commission on May 18, which NCBFAA says pertains to creating a pre-load process for VGM data submissions to carriers. NCBFAA supports the agreement, saying it “appears to set a goal of alleviating at least some of the concerns associated with the unilateral imposition of the VGM guidelines by the carriers” currently happening at the Gulf and South Atlantic ports. Per the agreement, marine terminal operators, not shippers, as previously suggested, would be responsible for providing the tare weight of a container to be used in the VGM, NCBFAA said.