On 1st July 2016 the Merchant Shipping (Safety) (Carriage of Cargoes) Regulation, Cap. 369AV, (Revision 2016) will be in force. Section 3A of the Regulation incorporated the latest requirements of the SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2 to require shippers to verify and declare the verified gross mass of packed containers to carriers before loading them on vessels.
On 23 May 2016, after considered the concerns of member States, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued circular MSC.1/Circ.1548 advising members to take practical and pragmatic measures to enforce the above-mentioned requirement in the initial 3-month period provided that the stability and safe operation of vessels are not affected. Considering the similar concerns of operators in the industry and the practical arrangement of other countries, Marine Department adopts the advice of IMO and will enforce the requirements in a practical and pragmatic manner from 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2016.