Verified gross mass, or VGM, is the certified total weight of a packed container: cargo, packing, and the container’s tare. Under the SOLAS convention, effective since July 2016, the shipper must provide VGM to the carrier before loading; without it the container may not be loaded aboard.
The rule answers a safety problem: misdeclared weights contributed to stack collapses, vessel stability errors, and casualties. SOLAS allows two methods: weigh the packed container (method 1), or weigh the cargo and packing and add the tare weight (method 2, where national rules permit certified processes).
VGM is a hard gate with its own cut-off: terminals will not load a no-VGM box, and carriers roll such containers as a matter of course. The declared figure also feeds stowage planning, which is why significant discrepancies found at weighbridges cause disputes and re-planning.
A container gated in on time that still misses its vessel often failed a paperwork gate, and VGM is a prime candidate. In TrackingMCP the tell is a gate-in event followed by no load event while the vessel departs, then a load on a later voyage: the signature of a rollover. Checking VGM submission when that pattern appears saves a repeat performance.
Verified gross mass, or VGM, is the certified total weight of a packed container: cargo, packing, and the container’s tare. Under the SOLAS convention, effective since July 2016, the shipper must provide VGM to the carrier before loading; without it the container may not be loaded aboard.
The shipper named on the carrier’s bill of lading. It may delegate the weighing, but the responsibility and the signature on the declaration stay with the shipper.
The container is not loaded. It typically rolls to a later sailing once VGM arrives, with storage and amendment costs riding along.
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More in Booking, loads & cut-offs: Shipping instruction (SI) · Cut-off (SI, VGM, cargo, customs) · LCL (less than container load) · FCL (full container load) · LCL vs FCL · Rollover (rolled cargo) · Browse all 106 terms →