Pondus Weighing Platform is an innovative weighing solution that helps drive safety across the container handling sector. Mis-declared containers create potential safety risks throughout the supply chain from transport companies to terminal operators and shipping lines. This new weighing solution, introduced in 2021, helps identify mis-declared weights by statistically sampling containers for weighing and then automatically notifying customers of weight discrepancies allowing parties to better meet their Chain of Responsibility obligations.
Pondus has been successfully proven to be effective in detecting mis-declared containers regarding their verified gross mass (VGM). At all Patrick Terminals in Australia, statistical weigh-in checks have resulted in several fines being issued from cargo facilities. Weight Amendment Fees are hundreds of dollars per container, plus GST.
How to avoid charges
It is the shipper’s responsibility to ensure that the correct weight of a container is documented prior to it being received at the terminal. Any mis-declared container found to be outside of the 1-tonne tolerance will be charged. To minimize your risk of incurring the Weight Amendment Fee, please ensure suppliers/shippers at origin correctly declare the weight of all containers to include:
- Cargo weight
- Dunnage
- Container tare weight
We encourage supplier/shippers to exercise diligence when declaring the weight of the containers for VGM. If you believe there is an issue between the weight and the VGM weight recorded in the origin systems—it must be addressed prior to shipping. With these new systems in place, there is no room for error and there is no room for adjudication after the loading of the container to the vessel.
By Clarissa Chiclana