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FEATURES10. Is it mandatory to include a weight certificate produced by a weighing station as part of the shipping document?MPA does not require a weight certificate to be included as part of the shipping document. The VGM submitted in the shipping document by the shipper to the vessel master or his representative and to the terminal representative will be deemed acceptable unless there is evidence to show otherwise.11. Can the VGM be submitted via the electronic submission of the shipping document?The shipping document on which the VGM is recorded may be submitted via electronic data processing (EDP) and electronic data interchange (EDI) transmission techniques. This includes electronic platforms used by terminal operators such as JP-online and Portnet. The signature may be an electronic signature or may be replaced by the name, in block letters, of the person authorized to sign.12. What are the consequences of export containerised cargoes arriving at the terminal operator’s gate without a VGM?If the VGM has not been submitted at the time of arrival at the terminal operator’s gate, the terminal operator will not load the export container on to the vessel until the VGM has been obtained. However, the terminal operator has discretion to turn away the container at gate or allow its entry into the terminal. To avoid operational disruptions, stakeholders are advised to ensure that the VGM has been submitted to the terminal operator before arrival.13. Is there a deadline by which the export shipping document and VGM must be submitted?The export shipping document and VGM must be submitted to the master or master’s representative and the terminal representative sufficiently in advance to allow ship stowage planning. The appropriate deadline may be determined by the stakeholders involved.14. Is there a specified margin of error allowed for the declared VGM?The SOLAS Regulations VI/2 does not provide for any margin of error in the VGM. However, taking on board the industry’s recommendations, MPA will at present allow a negligible margin of error of +/-5% of the VGM.20|Terminal operators are not required to re-weigh all local export containers. However, the local shipping community had duringindustrial consultations requested for the terminal operators to continue weighing services at their gates.16. Will containers on board ships be offloaded for re-weighing to demonstrate compliance with SOLAS Regulation VI/2?If a VGM is submitted as required and there is no reason to believe that the VGM is incorrect, the declared VGM will be deemed to be correct.17. How will MPA enforce the requirements under SOLAS Regulation VI/2?MPA will conduct ad-hoc inspections from time to time, to ensure that all stakeholders comply with the requirements. The weight obtained by terminal operators (e.g. PSA and Jurong Port) using their weighbridges located at the terminal gates may be utilised for the purposes of counter checking declared VGMs. Terminal operators will also inform MPA in the event of serious breaches of a shipper’s obligation to provide an accurate VGM.The stakeholders are invited to note MSC.1/Circ.1548 issued by the 96th Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization on the concerns of Member States regarding practical aspects of compliance with the aforementioned SOLAS amendments, in particular, relating to transhipped containers and communication of VGM information, in an initial period following their entry into force. MPA will adopt a practical and pragmatic approach when verifying compliance with the requirements of SOLAS regulations VI/2.4 to VI/2.6 for a period of three months after 1 July 2016. However, stakeholders are still required to comply with the requirements starting from 1 July 201618. When will the SOLAS Regulation VI/2 requirements come into force?The SOLAS Regulation VI/2 requirements will come into force on 1 July 2016.15. Are Terminal Operators required to re-weigh all local export containers?WAVES | ISSUE 51