New rules requiring weights of all containers to be accurately stated from July 1 will be introduced gradually because of lobbying by Maritime New Zealand.

Under the International Maritime Organisation's new regulations, the shipper exporting a container must provide its 'verified gross mass” by methods set out in the regulations. If it does not, then the container will not be loaded.

Maritime NZ successfully lobbied the IMO for flexibility in introducing new regulations for verifying container weights – and that will benefit New Zealand exporters.

'It is important to understand that about 97 per cent of our country's trade is by ship,” says Maritime NZ Acting Director Lindsay Sturt. 'Disruption to during the transition to the new regulations could cause unnecessary and potentially costly delays.”

New Zealand's concerns were about the transition to the new regulations, how to manage containers loaded before July 1 but would reach their final port on or after that date, and any possible teething problems with necessary software updates, data sharing, and communication systems.

The IMO has agreed to a practical approach for the three months after July 1.

Containers loaded on a ship before July 1 may be shipped to their final port without the verified gross mass, and it will permit flexibility to refine, if necessary, procedures for documenting, communicating and sharing verified gross mass information, without stopping shipments.

Container weights are currently declared but some serious incidents in the past have shown inaccurate declarations and grossly understated container weights. Dangerous internationally recorded incidents include container stacks collapsing, and ships' being overstressed and becoming unstable.

'The new weight verification rules are an important safety measure to help protect seafarers, cargoes and ships. We are glad they will be a requirement for international shipping,” says Lindsay.

'This is a great example of how we can work together as a maritime industry and have an impact on international trade issues that really matter to New Zealand.