Institute of Transportation, MOTC

        In maritime cargo transportation services, the cargo weight is one of the matters notified by the shipper. In addition, for the weight of the consignment, the shipper shall guarantee its correctness to the carrier. The shipper shall be held liable for warranty including damages, losses and costs arising from or in connection with such incorrect notification. For the navigation and safety of life and property at sea, the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has amended the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea to clearly regulate the verified gross mass (VGM) for packed containers, which entered into force on October 1, 2016. Due to safety
concerns from misdeclaration or negligence of cargo weights, the shipper or his authorized agent is required to submit the VGM for packed containers before the shipment; otherwise, the shipment should not be performed. In order to discuss guidelines of VGM, this research explores the legislative trends of the international maritime conventions on cargo weight-related regulations.
      Through an in-depth review of IMO and Taiwan’s VGM regulations, it not only puts forward suggestions on the acceptable scope and treatment of VGM errors for practical applications, but also proposes amendments to Article 55 of Taiwan’s Maritime Law. The research results can be served as a reference for the competent authorities in the formulation VGM regulations, and for suggestions
on the amendments to the Maritime Law in the future.