The Port of Vienna has expanded its service portfolio. Since the end of June 2016 weighing of loaded export containers in compliance with the SOLAS regulations are offered.
Since 1 July 2016, containers can only be loaded onto ships, with a verified gross mass. Therefore, all parties involved in the international transport of maritime containers – shippers, freight forwarders, packers, shipping companies, shipping agencies and sea terminal operators – must take fulfill the new SOLAS regulation as of now.
“A calibrated weighbridge of accuracy class III is available for the weighing service in the port of Vienna. The handling of the trucks is carried out in cooperation with WienCont, our largest subsidiary and TerminalSped, the port’s own forwarding company,” explains Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer, technical manager at the port of Vienna.
So the VGM = Verified Gross Mass (total weight of the loaded container incl. all security materials) can be determined in a fast way at the port of Vienna, as demanded by the law. As a result, the customer receives a protocol of the weighing and can transfer the data promptly to the respective authorities.
The weighing according to SOLAS regulations are carried out in the handling area of the port of Vienna. In addition to the calibrated weighbridge, specially trained staff is available for this service. A total of six special employees are working at the site, among them a certified and sworn master weigher. “My tasks are very varied and interesting, and I’m looking forward to new challenges every day. Personal contact with our customers is very important to me,” Barbara Kalman, master weigher in the port of Vienna, says proudly.
Barba Kalman has started an apprenticeship as an office clerk in 2010 in the port of Vienna, and successfully completed the training in 2013. Now the additional training and auditing as sworn master weigher followed at the gauging office.
