Verified Gross Mass (VGM)

What it means

The rule is SOLAS chapter VI, regulation 2, as amended by IMO resolution MSC.380(94). The amendments entered into force on 1 July 2016 and made the verified gross mass a condition for loading a packed container onto a ship. The shipper, meaning the party named as shipper on the bill of lading or sea waybill or the party that concluded the contract of carriage, must state the VGM in a shipping document.^[1]

IMO's guidelines, MSC.1/Circ.1475, define gross mass as the container's tare plus every package and cargo item inside it, including pallets, dunnage and other packing and securing material. The VGM is that total obtained by one of two permitted methods. The rule does not cover cargo the crew packs into a container already on board, or containers on a chassis or trailer driven onto a ro-ro ship on a short international voyage.^[2]

In the United States, the Coast Guard declared that existing U.S. laws and regulations are equivalent to the SOLAS requirement.^[3] The VGM is one number for the ship. It does not say where the weight sits, so a box with a correct VGM can still be overweight on a U.S. road axle; that gap is explained in SOLAS VGM vs. U.S. road limits.

Method 1 and Method 2: how the VGM is obtained

The guidelines describe two methods for the shipper to obtain the VGM:^[2]

• Method 1. After the container is packed and sealed, the shipper weighs the whole packed container, or arranges for a third party to weigh it.
• Method 2. The shipper weighs all packages and cargo items, including pallets, dunnage and securing material, and adds the container's tare mass. The weighing method must be certified and approved as decided by the competent authority of the State where the container was packed and sealed.

Method 2 does not suit cargo that cannot be weighed item by item, such as scrap metal or unbagged grain; the guidelines say Method 1 should be used for those. Original sealed packages with their accurate mass clearly and permanently marked do not need to be weighed again. Scales, weighbridges and lifting equipment must meet the accuracy standards of the State where they are used.^[2]

If the container is weighed while sitting on a chassis or trailer, the registered tare of the road vehicle (and the tractor, where included) and the fuel in the tractor's tank are subtracted. Two containers on one vehicle must be weighed separately; dividing the combined weight by two is not allowed.^[2]

Submitting the VGM: document, signature and cut-off

• Shipping document. The VGM can be part of the shipping instructions to the carrier or a separate declaration, such as a weigh station's weight certificate. Either way, the document should make clear that the figure is the verified gross mass.^[2]
• Signature. A person duly authorized by the shipper signs it. An electronic signature, or that person's name in capital letters, is acceptable.^[2]
• Who receives it. The contract of carriage is with the shipping company, so the shipper can meet its obligation by giving the VGM to the carrier, which passes it to the terminal. Electronic transmission such as EDI is preferred.^[2]
• Deadline. SOLAS sets no fixed deadline beyond receiving the VGM in time for the ship stowage plan. The carrier, after consulting the terminal, tells the shipper its specific VGM cut-off.^[2]

What VGM charges and fees are

SOLAS itself sets no fee. Charges labeled VGM on an invoice are commercial charges set by carriers, terminals or weigh stations. When a packed container reaches the terminal without a VGM, the guidelines let the carrier and terminal obtain it on the shipper's behalf, for example by weighing it at the terminal, and say the parties should agree whether and how to do this, including who bears the cost. Costs of a container denied loading, such as storage, demurrage or return to the shipper, are likewise left to the contracts between the parties.^[2]

As one published example, Hapag-Lloyd's Japan schedule of VGM-related charges (dated 07/01/2024) lists the following:^[4]

Those amounts belong to one carrier in one country. The charges on a given booking come from that carrier's tariff for the origin, so check it before the cut-off.

Example

Illustrative only, with made-up numbers: an exporter's container is packed and sealed, and the drayage truck crosses a certified truck scale on the way to the terminal. The ticket shows 35,900 kg for tractor, chassis and loaded container. The exporter subtracts the registered tare of the tractor and chassis and the weight of the tractor's fuel, 12,100 kg in total, giving a Method 1 VGM of 23,800 kg. An authorized employee signs the VGM declaration and transmits it to the ocean carrier electronically before the carrier's VGM cut-off.

Common confusions

• VGM vs. a declared cargo weight. The VGM includes the container's tare, pallets and dunnage. If a weight declared before verification differs from the VGM, the VGM is used; if a terminal's own weighing differs from an earlier VGM, the terminal's figure is used.^[2]
• VGM vs. maximum gross mass. A correct VGM does not make an overloaded box acceptable. SOLAS regulation VI/5 bars packing a container beyond the maximum gross mass on its CSC safety approval plate, and such a container may not be loaded.^[2]
• A VGM is not a loading guarantee. Having the VGM in time is a prerequisite for loading, not an entitlement. The ship's master keeps the final say on whether to accept a container.^[2]
• Empty containers. For an empty box, the tare weight marked on the container under the ISO marking standard should be used.^[2]

Frequently asked questions