Weighing & VGM

Since 2016, the SOLAS Convention has required the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) of every container to be declared before it is loaded on board. No VGM, no loading: it is an international requirement, enforced by every shipping line.

MCTC operates a weighbridge on the terminal and issues VGM certificates under Method 1: weighing the loaded, sealed container on a verified instrument [TO BE CONFIRMED: calibration arrangements and approval]. The result is recorded on a time-stamped certificate stating the container number, the verified gross mass, the identity of the weigher and the instrument reference. The certificate is handed to the shipper or its freight forwarder and transmitted to the shipping line within the documentary cut-off.

The weighbridge is also used for commercial weighing: trucks at gate-in and gate-out, bulk cargo, and independent check weighing in the event of a weight dispute. Every weighing produces a numbered ticket, archived and enforceable.

Integrated into the gate flow, weighing requires no detour: the truck is weighed within its normal entry or exit flow, and the certificate is available before the export container is grounded in the yard.