Chairman Cordero Applauds USCG Statement on Container Weights

May 4, 2016

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Mario Cordero commended the Coast Guard for issuing a bulletin last week regarding container weights that he hopes allows parties to agree how they will operate after new Safety of Life at Sea Treaty (SOLAS) amendments come into force later this year.

Cordero made his comments in Oakland, California as a panelist during a conversation hosted by Women in Logistics (WIL) and the Warehouse Education and Research Council (WERC) entitled, “Are you ready for SOLAS?”

“I commend the Coast Guard for issuing its Marine Safety Information Bulletin last week declaring ‘. . . the United States has determined that the regulatory regime in the United States for providing verified weights of containers to ship Masters is equivalent to the requirements provided for . . . ‘ by SOLAS amendments,” said Cordero. “I hope this action permits shippers, carriers, and Marine Terminal Operators to have the knowledge necessary to continue to move cargo efficiently, reliably, and without interruption come July 1st.”

Though the FMC does not have jurisdiction over SOLAS, it has been active on the issue of how to verify container weights under the terms of the new IMO amendments.

“How to weigh containers and transmit that information to carriers and terminal operators in accordance with new SOLAS requirements is a matter that I know is of concern to our constituents. Since the beginning of the year, we have tried to be of help on this issue through the forum we hosted at Commission headquarters in February, and via ongoing engagement of carriers, shippers, and terminal operators,” said Cordero. “Going forward we will continue to be engaged on this issue and remain willing to be of assistance should the need arise and our help is sought.”