Container Weight and VGM: The SOLAS Rule Shippers Still Get Wrong
Under the SOLAS convention, no packed container can be loaded onto a vessel unless its Verified Gross Mass has been declared by the shipper. The rule has been in force for years. And yet missing, late or implausible VGM declarations still strand boxes at the terminal every week.
What VGM actually requires
The Verified Gross Mass is the total weight of the cargo plus the tare weight of the container, verified by one of two permitted methods: weighing the packed container, or weighing the cargo and adding the certified tare. The shipper named on the bill of lading is responsible for declaring it, accurately and on time, ahead of the cut-off.
Why it still goes wrong
The failures are mundane. A declaration submitted after the cut-off. A figure estimated rather than verified. A tare weight guessed instead of read off the container. Any of these can result in the box being held back from loading — and a held box becomes a rolled shipment and a demurrage clock.
VGM is not a difficult rule. It is an easy rule that gets treated as a formality until the container it strands is yours.
Getting it right every time
Build VGM into the booking workflow rather than treating it as an afterthought. Use a verified weighing method, capture the real tare, and submit ahead of the cut-off with margin to spare. For shippers moving regular volume, a standard operating procedure that assigns clear responsibility for the declaration eliminates almost all of the risk — and the cost that comes with it.