DB Schenker takes matters of compliance seriously and in order to assist with submission of the VGM to the Carriers, DB Schenker will require completion of a VGM certificate from all shippers for all FCL shipments.
There has been much information regarding the changes in SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea) regulations effective July 1st 2016 that requires shippers to submit to Carriers the verified gross mass (VGM) of all export containers.
As you would expect from an industry leading logistics company, DB Schenker takes matters of compliance seriously and in order to assist with submission of the VGM to the Carriers, DB Schenker will require completion of a VGM certificate from all shippers for all FCL shipments. We are happy to accept your own signed and dated company certificate, as long as the mandatory fields* are included and is printed on your letterhead, or we are happy to make available to you an editable PDF template (see below).
The Certification must be “signed”, meaning a specific person representing the shipper is named and identified as having verified the accuracy of the weight calculation on behalf of the shipper. The VGM should be submitted to DB Schenker via email to your customer service representative.
Whilst OCEMA BEST PRACTICES release has advised that the VGM cutoff is likely to be approximately ½ working day prior to the vessel cutoff in the case of a NO VGM, NO LOAD policy, it currently appears that some terminals in the USA & Canada will implement a “NO VGM, NO IN-GATE POLICY”, meaning the VGM will need to be submitted before the container can be in-gated at the terminal. As more information becomes available DB Schenker will continue to provide timely updates to our customers as to best operational practice.
For customers using our LCL freight product that is consolidated in to DB Schenker’s LCL network, DB Schenker is the shipper of record for VGM purposes and we are responsible for data submission. We will be adopting method 2 to provide our VGM to the carrier and therefore will engage in the practice of weighing each shipment as part of the warehouse receipt process.
There is no doubt that SOLAS will add costs to the supply chain and we are currently monitoring these costs very closely to determine whether a SOLAS fee will be applicable. However, what is certain is that there will be costs associated with improper, untimely, or no VGMs being submitted to the carriers/terminals. Schenker will attempt to keep these costs to a minimum, but will be forced to pass along any incurred fees.
*Mandatory Fields
- Booking / Bill of Lading (BL) No.
- Container No.
- Verified Gross Mass (VGM)
- Unit of Measurement (KG or LB)
- Authorized Person’s Signatory (in CAPITAL LETTERS)
- Responsible Party Name
- Date of Declaration
- Method of Weighing (1 or 2) and Weighing Party Name
Please do not hesitate to reach out to your local DB Schenker office if you need any further information.
