News
Asian and European Shippers call for rejection of the present International Maritime Organization (IMO) proposals.
At the next IMO in London on September 16-20, the Sub-Committee on Dangerous Goods, Solid cargoes and Containers will be considering whether to press ahead with mandatory weighing and verification of containers prior to shipment.
Members of the Asian Shippers' Council (ASC) and European Shippers' Council (ESC), which jointly represent 75% of the world container trade, call on the parties taking part in the decision making process at the IMO to reject these proposals calling for amendments of SOLAS regulation VI/2 and SOLAS regulation VI/5.5.
''The proposals are made without proper analysis being carried out, including a possible impact assessment. 100% checks are not feasible in practice and will not address the root causes of the accidents at sea. Making weight verification mandatory will merely add to the costs, resulting in undue delays in the supply chain without significantly decreasing the risk of occurrence of such accidents,'' the shippers' bodies said.
