Verified gross mass of containers (VGM)
The requirement under the SOLAS Convention for the shipper to declare the verified gross mass of each container before loading, failing which the container cannot be loaded.
A container ship is loaded according to a stowage plan that distributes weights to ensure its stability and the strength of its container stacks. If the declared weights are wrong, so is the plan: collapsed stacks, containers lost overboard, excessive stress on the hull, even loss of the ship. Amendments to the SOLAS Convention therefore required the shipper to provide, before loading, the container's verified gross mass, obtained either by weighing the packed container or by weighing each package and adding the tare, using a certified method. Without this figure, the master and terminal must not load the container. For insurers, the rule reduces a driver of cargo and hull claims, and it raises a liability question: a shipper that declares an incorrect mass may be held liable for damage caused to the ship and other cargo.
Adopted in November 2014 and applicable since July 1, 2016, the requirement was prompted in part by the beaching of the MSC Napoli in January 2007, where many containers weighed after the casualty had a mass different from the one declared.
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