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Reference: HKG-2020-11

Date: July 7, 2020

Revision of the PRC Ship Safety Supervision Rules by MOT

Dear Valued Customer,

Recently, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of the People's Republic of China has revised the “Rules of the People's Republic of China on Ship Safety Supervision” (hereinafter referred to as the "Rules"), which has been implemented since 1 June 2020.

One major amendment is to specify the obligations of the shipper and carrier for the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of the containers to be delivered to the international container ship. Shippers are required to declare VGM of the container before delivering the container to carrier. The carrier cannot load the container without obtaining the VGM or when the VGM exceeds the maximum operating gross mass (maximum payload) of the container.  The maximum payload under the Rules refers to the maximum gross mass of the container, including the cargo, packing materials and etc inside the container. The maximum payload is marked on the CSC plate (i.e. Convention for Safe Container data plate) of the container.

The second amendment is on the method of getting VGM and the tolerance acceptance level. It stipulated that the deviation between the VGM declared by shipper and the actual container gross mass must not exceed 5% and the maximum deviation must be less than 1 ton. In case of violation, shipper shall be subject to penalty ranging from RMB1,000 to RMB 30,000 by Maritime Bureau.

Container transportation is one of the most important methods of international shipping. Container over-weight and inaccurate weight declaration occur from time to time, posing a threat to the safety of ship, terminal facility, and related personnel. Here, we would like to remind again that shippers should fulfill their obligation and take effective measures to ensure timely, accurate and truthful declaration of VGM according to the Rules.

Since the amendment of the “International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea” effective 1 July 2016, OOCL has strictly adhered to the principle of “No VGM, No Load” and has worked closely with all parties in the industry to reduce the risk and harm caused by the over-weight containers or concealment of VGM. We will continue to cooperate with our customers and take all necessary measures to strengthen the supervision of the container VGM declaration for maritime safety.

For more detailed information, please refer to the following link (Simplified Chinese version only):

http://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/fgs/202003/t20200325_3351654.html

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support. Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact our local Customer Service representative.