Mumbai: The Company of Master Mariners of India (CMMI) is backing the new ‘container weight’ safety measures to drive national exports of contained goods announced by the International Maritime Organisation and which comes into force in July 2016.
In India, about 25 per cent of the export trade falls in the category of misdeclaration of container goods and it is hoped that all this will change by July 2016 with the IMO require.
The CMMI is readying a white paper which it will present to the ministry of shipping before December 31, 2015.
“It is estimated that about one-third of over 130 million cargo containers shipped everyday across the globe have inaccurately declared weights,” said Capt. R.R. Iyer of CMMI and V-P, operations, Seashore Ship Agencies Pvt Ltd.
This is a grave safety concern for the ship, and also a huge issue for the environment. “More importantly.” he said “the risk to human life is severe, casualties may occur and ships could cap-size or sink due to excess, misdeclared or miscalculated weights of the loaded cargo-containers.”
The White Paper will centre around key amendments to SOLAS (the Safety of Life at Seas according to the international Convention) which will make container weight verification a legally binding condition for all vessel from July 1, 2016.
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