The UN international maritime organization IMO has introduced a set of rules and guidelines to optimise the safety on ships, since an accurate weight of containers increases the vessel stability.
“We have chosen a solution that avoids increased costs to customers while maintaining an efficient container handling. We install weighing equipment in our reach stackers that weighs each container via the container spreaders when it arrives at the terminal”, said Klaus G. Andersen, CEO at Fredericia Shipping.
As of July 1 and one year forward, there is a running-in period for the new guidelines. During the running-in period, a deviation of +/- 1,000 kg per container is accepted. The shipper is responsible for obtaining and documenting the verified gross mass (VGM) of a packed container.
The number of containers handled at the Port of Fredericia has been rising over the years, with a slight decrease in 2015 due to the international general downturn in the container market. However, ADP A/S that owns and operates the Port of Fredericia has a clear expectation that the port will continue to be a significant player in the container market.
“Containers are a focus area for ADP, and in 2015, we invested in yet another crane for container handling,” says Strategic Sales Manager at ADP A/S, Ole Haugsted Jørgensen. “We are continuously improving our port areas, and right now, we have an extra focus on the container terminal giving it an even better infrastructure. An effective container handling is an important parameter for our port operations, and we therefore welcome Fredericia Shipping’s decision to weigh containers free of charge”.