Five letters spell trouble for shippers
SAFETY AT SEA: Enforcing SOLAS means ports won’t accept containers without a proven weight certificate
It only takes five letters to spell SHARK. We all know the who, what, when, where and why of sharks.
In the trucking industry, it only takes five letters to spell another kind of menace: SOLAS. That would be Safety of Life at Sea, and that name, which has been around for 102 years, is about to change the face of the container industry worldwide.
SOLAS is an international maritime safety treaty that dates back to before any of us were around — signed, sealed and accepted in 1914. Only it’s never really been accepted, acted upon or, for that matter, even respected.
But that will change July 1 when it becomes an enforceable law. Expect all kinds of trouble and confusion will occur. The confusion has already started.
In the simplest of terms, the treaty means any loaded container placed on a ship for transportation to another port must be accompanied with an approved and accepted certificate, which guarantees the weight of the cargo in that locked and sealed container. No certified paperwork, no transportation of container.
Ever since they first came on the scene, the joy of containers was no loading or unloading of loose cargo.
The driver simply picked up the container at Point A, took it to Point B — and the job was done.
Sometimes, the container even came with an interchange that described what was inside and how much it weighed. We drivers always laughed — and still laugh — at the indication of weight.
It’s never right. We can tell. Our rigs can tell.
A shipper’s trick is to stuff it completely, then pay for only a lighter weight listed — a money-maker for the shipper.
Unfortunately, many ships have been lost at sea over the years because they were not seaworthy enough to carry the heavier-than-listed weight.
SOLAS is purported to be the solution.
But another wrinkle suddenly pops up. Canada is a well-developed country. We have most, if not all the best and most modern of shipping equipment needed to ensure SOLAS works.
Third-world countries are not that fortunate.
So, the question now being pondered is how will this 102-year old treaty be enforced and who is going to pay for the enforcement?
Shippers also are asking themselves: “Do we comply or do nothing?”
In mid-February of this year, the so-called “export community” in Vancouver attended a meeting about SOLAS.
At the start of that session, they all thought they had a firm grip on the situation. When the meeting ended, the opposite was true. There were more questions asked by attendees than answers given by Chamber of Shipping and Transport Canada.
The mere 150 who showed up were exporters, re-loaders and rig drivers, who are independent owneroperators. They are very concerned about one very solid fact that local ports have made it clear: The ports will NOT accept any loaded container into their system and onto a ship unless a certified weight certificate accompanies that container.
The lies must stop. The guesswork will no longer be accepted.
The shippers must turn over a new page. Honesty is the only policy because if they don’t change, the supply chain is going to grind to a halt, p.d.q.
Then, every consumer, coast to coast, north, south, east and west will suffer.
We’ll talk more about this sleeping giant next week.
I could fill a newspaper with stories about life on the road, but why not share yours with readers? Send them to Driving editor Andrew McCredie at amccredie@postmedia.com