From July, an amendment to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention will require every export container carrying cargo to have its weight verified before it is loaded on to a ship. 

Commenting on the new service, Stephen Abraham, Chief Operating Officer of Port of Felixstowe, said, "We have met with many customers and from their feedback it is clear that there is still a lot of uncertainty amongst exporters about the new rules. The rules have the potential to cause significant disruption to export supply chains. To help avoid this we have decided to provide a service where export containers can be weighed at the port before being loaded. We will provide further details about how the weighing service will work in good time to ensure all exporters can be compliant by the time the new rules come into force." 

The service, the cost of which has not yet been announced, will be available to containers arriving at Felixstowe either by road or rail.  

PhotPicture: The Port of Felixstowe