The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty requires that all containers have a verified weight certificate before being loaded on to a ship. The legislation, which came into force in 2016, was intended to reduce the number of accidents at sea which are caused by wrongly declared container weights. Weight verification method one involves weighing the packed container using calibrated and certified equipment. This might be achieved using a weighbridge, axle weigher or rail scales. Weight verification method two involves weighing all packages and cargo items, including packing materials and the tare weight of the container, then adding the sum of all weights together to provide a verified weight. Forklift scales and/or bench and floor scales offer an ideal solution.

All Avery Weigh-Tronix solutions meet the requirements for providing a compliant VGM (verified Gross Mass) to ensure that you are compliant before a container leaves your site. This means you avoid the cost of weighing at port and avoid the risk and cost of delayed shipments and costs that would occur with an overload being identified at the port.

Whatever part you play in the freight forwarding process, we have the solution to make load verification easier: from mobile, lightweight axle scales to weighbridges and fixed axle weighers.

Service options

Our Uptime Select™ service plans combine local, site-specific engineers and a guaranteed level of uptime to keep your sea freight operation running to your requirements.

For more information on SOLAS and what it means for your business, please download our SOLAS guide.

Fast, efficient and cost-effective handling of dry bulk cargo is key to the success of many ports. Road weighbridge and train weighing solutions from Avery Weigh-Tronix can be used to help ports to manage incoming and outgoing loads, provide relevant data and ensure that vehicles and rail wagons are loaded safely and to optimum levels.

Recent regulation amendments have effects throughout the supply chain, meaning that shippers, freight forwarders, vessel operators, and terminal operators must ensure that they comply with regulations.

While verification of gross mass is crucial part of sea freight forwarding under SOLAS regulations, it needn’t be a drain on time or revenue.In fact, solutions such as our weighbridges and forklift truck scales have the connectivity to integrate seamlessly into your existing systems, linking with data management solutions to help you accurately record the VGM of your shipments. The speed, accuracy and intelligence of our weighing systems means that the data they gather can help make processes even more efficient.

Service options

Underlying all of this is our groundbreaking, all-inclusive Uptime Select™ service plans, which guarantee uptime to keep your operation up and running at maximum efficiency.

Many shippers rely on port weighing to provide the verified gross mass reading required by SOLAS regulations – but have you considered the cost savings that could be made by investing in your own equipment?

We have developed solutions to make load verification easier and avoid the risk of fines and delayed containers, whatever your operation: from mobile, lightweight axle scales, to portable yet robust container scales.

If you are transporting containers to port on behalf of shippers. Providing a weighing service to your clients could be an additional lucrative revenue stream. Our portable container weighing systems are ideal for this and easily carried on a vehicle and deployed by a single operator.

Incorrectly declared weights carry the risk of delayed shipments and additional costs if a container is found to be overweight at port. All weighing equipment used to provide a verified weight must be calibrated and certified, making access to accurate and reliable weighing equipment and absolute necessity.

Our weighing systems and support are not only highly accurate but designed to integrate into your existing freight forwarding processes – providing full traceability, without compromising on speed or efficiency. Investing in accurate and reliable weighing equipment can help to avoid the costs caused by delays.

Service Options

We understand that keeping these systems up and running 24/7 is key to this assurance. This is why our industry leading Uptime Select™ service plans guarantee a high level of uptime to keep your operation running, while reducing the risk of asset loss or incorrect billing.