On 1 July 2016 the International Maritime Organisation’s amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”) Convention Chapter VI enter into force. From this date, all packed containers must be accompanied by Verified Gross Weight documentation prepared by shippers (normally in the form of a certificate). There will be regulatory consequences for the shipper

Following several incidents resulting from structural failure in oil tankers, the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO has made mandatory certain performance standards aimed at inhibiting corrosion in cargo oil tanks. The MSC has adopted Resolution MSC.291(87), which incorporates into SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-11, “Corrosion Protection of Cargo Oil Tanks of Crude Oil Tankers” (the “Regulation”).

For some parts of the world, the monsoon season is fast approaching. Such extreme weather conditions are known to cause serious problems with the carriage of certain bulk cargoes. The IMO has, therefore, recently considered issues relating to the dangers posed by the carriage of such cargoes at a meeting of the Sub-Committee on Dangerous