Changes to international shipping rules could see a Kiwi company capitalise on the development of its portable container weighing scale.
Kiwi tech-company BISON launched the portable container weighing device called the Weighing Jack, to meet the needs of exporters who will be required by legislation to verify the weight of every container they ship from July 2016.
“Currently the system relies on shippers declaring the weight of the container, but no one is checking their declarations and it’s estimated that around a third of the 130 million containers shipped each year have inaccurate weights,” says BISON founder and managing director Greg Fahey.
“It’s a global health and safety issue.”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has amended the Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) to make it mandatory for shippers to accurately verify the weight of all export containers using certified equipment.
Shippers must then communicate the weight in a timely way to the shipping line. Without a verified weight, the container is not permitted aboard a vessel.
The amendment takes effect from 1 July 2016.
“The compliance challenge for shippers will be – how do we verify container weights, accurately and efficiently?” says BISON founder and technical director Mark Fahey.
“We see Weighing Jacks as a useful solution for many operators”.
Targeted at exporters, consolidators and stevedores loading grounded containers, BISON Weighing Jacks are four small scales that attach to each corner of the container, lift it slightly off the ground and weigh the container to within +/-25 kg.
The Weighing Jacks sync with a smartphone App and cloud database, enabling the weight and other shipping data to be stored, printed and sent automatically through the logistics chain.
The jacks also confirm the weight distribution within the container.
“This is valuable information.” says Mark Fahey. “Unbalanced loads are a major problem too.
“Being able to check both the weight and load distribution at the packing point gives company management assurance that they are meeting their chain of responsibility commitments.”
Since launching the Weighing Jacks in late-April, the BISON team have secured orders from local freight forwarders and received enquiries from distributors in India, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Brazil and South Africa.
To see a video of the Weighing Jacks in action and for more information visit: www.bison-jacks.com
