What a VGM declaration is
The verified gross mass is the weight of a packed container: the cargo, its packing and dunnage, and the container itself. Under the SOLAS convention, the shipper has to declare it, and the carrier may not load a container without it. Overweight and misdeclared containers have caused stack collapses and lost ships; the rule exists so that the people planning the vessel know what each box really weighs.
In India, the Directorate General of Shipping sets out how the rule works and lays down the format: the information about verified gross mass of container, item by item. This tool follows that format, one page for each container.
The two methods
Method 1 weighs the whole packed and sealed container, usually on a weighbridge at the port, a container freight station or your factory. The weighbridge must be calibrated and registered, and its registration number and address go on the declaration with the weighing slip number.
Method 2 weighs everything that goes into the container, the cargo, the packing and the dunnage, and adds the container's tare weight, the figure painted on its door. Who may use method 2, and with what scales, is set by the DG Shipping guidelines. If you are not sure you qualify, use method 1.
What the declaration needs
- The shipper and an authorised official. The shipper is the one named on the bill of lading. The official who signs gives a contact that works around the clock, in case the terminal has a question.
- The container. Its number, its size and the maximum gross weight on its CSC safety plate. A VGM above that weight means the container cannot be loaded as it is.
- The weight and how it was found. The verified gross mass, the method, the date and time of weighing, and for method 1 the weighbridge and the slip.
- The type of cargo. Normal, reefer, hazardous or other; for hazardous cargo, the UN number and the IMDG class.
Mistakes that cost exporters money
- Missing the VGM cut-off. The container is rolled to the next vessel, with storage and rebooking charges on the way.
- A VGM that does not match the terminal's weighing. Terminals weigh containers at the gate. A large difference can stop the container until it is re-weighed.
- Method 2 with the wrong tare. Use the tare on this container's door, not a typical figure for its size.
- A gross weight on the bill of lading that differs from the VGM. The gross cargo weight on the B/L plus the tare should come to the VGM. Take both from the same packing list.