August 21 - The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the British International Freight Association (BIFA) and the TT Club are among those scheduled to speak at the Container Weighing Seminar being held by the International Cargo Handling Coordinatio
Organised in advance of the IMO's new shipping regulations requiring verification of a freight container's gross mass, due to become mandatory from July 1, 2016, the seminar will discuss how legislation can be implemented and enforced with minimum disruption to container logistics chains. Key topics under discussion will be technology innovation and practicalities for the physical weighing of containers.
The ocean carriers' perspective will be given by Lars Kjaer, senior vice president, World Shipping Council (WSC), who will also outline the new guidelines issued by WSC.
The regulators' view will come from Loukas Kontogiannis, technical officer, subdivision for Marine Technology and Cargoes, at IMO's Maritime Safety Division, Keith Bradley of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Richard Thomas of the UK Office of Road and Rail (ORR).
The TT Club's risk management director, Peregrine Storrs-Fox, and BIFA's Robert Windsor will take part in a round table debate on 'From Legislation to Implementation: Making it Happen'.
The seminar will be held at the London offices of international law firm Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW). Matthew Gore, senior associate at HFW, will conclude with a session on the legal, contractual and commercial implications of the new rules.
"With participation and views from regulators, shippers, forwarders, ocean carriers, ports and terminals, road and rail transporters and insurance and legal specialists, this will be a truly cross-party debate, as befits a major legislative development that will impact so many parties along the cargo handling and transport chain," said ICHCA international chairman David Bendall.
