News
Paris-based Bureau International des Containers et du Transport Intermodal (BIC) has announced the launch of a pilot database of container tare weight data to support carriers, shippers, forwarders and other intermediaries as new SOLAS mandatory container weight verification requirements come into effect on July 1, 2016.
This new mandate from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires shippers to declare the verified gross mass (VGM) of containers before they can be loaded onto a ship. To make fulfilling this requirement easier for 'Method 2' shippers (those adding cargo and securing material weight to the container tare weight to obtain the VGM), the new Technical Characteristics Database (TCD) will provide a reliable, easy-to-access source of container tare weight data.
Once populated, the TCD will allow shippers, forwarders and other intermediaries to access a single database to obtain tare weight, eliminating the need to either visit multiple websites to obtain the tare weight data or to obtain this information from the weight indicated on the door of each container. The TCD will not only be available via a website, but can also be accessed via a secure API, so that tare weight and other technical data can be automatically queried and integrated into shipper and forwarder systems. In either case, the party must provide the container number to obtain the tare weight.
For carriers and leasing companies, the database provides the automated tare weight access preferred by many shippers, without having to invest time and money on multiple integration requests or deal with requests for individual tare weights. It also simplifies any issue around tare weight arising when containers are interchanged or swapped between parties.
The TCD does not capture container location data, nor will it display the owner or user of the container - its sole focus is to return the technical characteristics of a container when interrogated with the container’s operational number.
