Container weight verification—a directive from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) that all export cargo should be weighed to meet a specific gross mass before they are loaded onto vessels—took off in the country barely two weeks ago and the transition process is by far a success.This comes from the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Sylvia Asana Owu.
The global sea trade regulator issued the gross mass directive as a precautionary measure to control overloading of vessels in the bid to avert the increasing incident of loss of cargo and human lives at sea. July 1 was set as the approved date for its implementation across the globe.
Ms. Owu stated that: “Effective July 1,2016, the container verification directive took off successfully in the country. The only hitches were when some shippers had to get their containers out of the port to have them weighed before they could be accepted on the vessels.
“Those containers were in the port prior to the take-off of the container verification directive as their vessel did not come in early enough.
“But now things have been sorted out; those with the weighing facilities in their premises have had their facilities calibrated and certified by the Ghana Standards Authority who have that mandate. Now, they can weigh their containers and send the results to the shipping lines and other stakeholders that will require the information.”
The GSA boss attributed the smooth take-off of the directive to the sustained sensitisation campaigns and relentless efforts that were put in by the three prime stakeholders who have been tasked to facilitate the implementation of the directive in the country: Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Standards Authority and the Ghana Shippers’ Authority.
This was on the back of sustained cooperation and compliance of related actors in the shipping industry specifically the Ship-owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), freight forwarders and clearing agents as well as exporters.
She said: “The Ghana Standards Authority, for instance, has so far calibrated and certified over 50 weigh bridges as well as trained personnel who will man the facilities to ensure that accurate data is forwarded to shipping lines, the port operator GPHA and terminal operators.”
A section of the shipping public at a recent forum organised by the Greater Accra Shippers Committee in Tema, requested for more commercial weigh bridges, especially at the regional levels to offer convenience and save cost, and according to Ms. Owu, that is something the Ghana Standards Authority is still working on.
She said: “The calibration and certification of weigh bridges is still ongoing; there is a procedure to it and the Ghana Standards Authority has come out with a format that requests interested persons to contact the Authority to come and verify their facilities and subsequently get certified.
“Even prior to acquiring the facility, the authority can advise the business person as to which type of facility to buy to fit the purpose and also provide the needed training for the personnel to manage the facility.”
Prior to the take-off, the Ghana Shippers Authority engaged in vigorous stakeholder sensitisations across the length and breadth of the country and has no intention of stopping anytime soon as it intends to in the next few weeks, engage exporters who have the facility in their premises to find out how the process has been going thus far.
“If there is the need to educate them on certain things, we are ready to do that; if it is required to engage the other stakeholders too, we are ready to do that,” Ms. Owu assured.
She said her outfit will continue to cooperate with Ghana Maritime Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority as container verification is a requirement that demands the participation of the various stakeholders to able to work to the benefit of shippers and the economy as a whole.
“Can you imagine when cocoa and timber meant for export are stuck in the ports. It is going to affect all of us so we need to work together.
“So far I think we are doing that very well and we just have to continue to engage in discussions in a manner that we can collectively ensure the provision of a smooth environment for the implementation of the container verification directive,” she stressed.
Currently, the Technical Committee is working on leveraging the GCNet platform where information could be stored for the respective stakeholders to access details of verified containers in real time.
She also stated : “At the last Technical Committee Meeting, we were looking into the possibility of leveraging the GCNet platform to facilitate access to real time information from the weighing centres; it is in the trial stages as at now, even though the shipping lines have accepted to receive the information via their conventional modes which is allowed per the regulation.”
Most sea-related accidents have been linked to misdeclaration; a practice whereby the shipper under-declares the contents and weight of containers in shipping documents in the bid to reduce freight and other shipping-related costs.
The phenomenon presents the most significant risk for container shipping as it contributes to overloading of vessels, and have been implicated in major shipping losses including vessel overturns and life at sea.
effects
On average, one container falls at sea every hour and it is estimated that 10,000 large containers are lost at sea annually due to rough weather, inadequate or faulty securing systems and miscalculations of container weights when the vessel is being loaded.
And the purpose of IMO’s container weight verification requirement is therefore to obtain the accurate gross weight of the packed containers so that vessel and terminal operators can prepare vessel stowage plans prior to loading ships.
But given that the country operates on an import-led economy, the viability of the directive goes beyond securing lives and cargo at sea as it will serve the national interest boosting both traditional and non-traditional exports to cushion socio-economic growth.
Ms.Sylvia Asana Owu stressed on the economic relevance of the container verification: “Once we meet the international standards, it will pave the way for the country to promote its exports because as it stands some countries are not ready at all with the implementation of the container verification regime.
“If you compare us to other countries, I think we have gone far, even though we shouldn’t be complacent. The only thing we need to do now is to ensure that these things do not come at a higher cost.
“The fact that we are following international best practices, and following all procedures, it should not come to make our exports more expensive.”