A newly revised IMO regulation, aimed to strengthen maritime safety procedures, is scheduled to become legally effective worldwide on 1 July 2016. The new SOLAS amendment requires shippers to verify container weight in weigh stations with declared weight certificates prior to loading shipment on vessels. They are then obliged to notify verified weight to shipping lines and terminals.

Moreover, SOLAS mandates the weight of fixating equipment within containers to be included in the gross mass of packed containers. Verified gross mass must be reported to terminals 24 hrs before ship arrival at port. Packed containers that lack proper weight verification or exceed SOLAS permitted discrepancy are prohibited from loading shipment.

CyberLogitec’s OPUS Terminal has been promptly adjusting to incorporate IMO amendments. We have attuned terminals of different sizes in different locations to the new SOLAS agreement and begun supporting data interfaces between shippers, shipping lines and terminals to deal with this new change. Gross mass measured by container handling equipment can be compared to SOLAS weight regulations and can be relayed to other parts of the system. Once shipment loading process is complete, EDI (Outbound PALIE) documents are automatically prepared to be handed over to terminal of their destination.

OPUS Terminal stores VGM information relayed from individual containers and compares it with the ‘Outbound’ list in shipping lines and finally registers verified gross information into the system. This information can be later used again during shipment loading process to improve efficiency. In addition, OPUS Terminal provides the option to individually manage shipment loading process by reflecting loading plans or loading job orders requested by shipping lines.

Many terminals are refurbishing their EDI and TOS system to meet new SOLAS regulations but verified weigh stations are rare and it is not easy to equip one in the short-term. Most container trailers are physically/economically unfit to use weigh stations (lack of equipment to properly measure weight of trailers, load cell pay load burden, high maintenance costs) which compels shippers to use a limited system that can calculate packed container weight by summing up individual cargos. OPUS Terminal is prepared to adjust to such contingencies.

EDI documents module consist of BAPLIE, COPARN, COPRAR, COLDLT, CODECO, COARRI, VERMAS, COPINO (Limited to domestic) and TOS (Terminal Operating System) module consists of Gate, Outbound list, Loading plan, Container detail information, Inbound list, Discharging plan, Working list.