Japan’s NYK Line has selected INTTRA ’s eVGM network to meet the new container weight requirements adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which came into place from this month.

As part of the deal, NYK is providing the INTTRA eVGM service to customers as one solution through which they can exchange and process the container weight information required to meet the IMO's Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Verified Gross Mass (VGM) requirement.     

The SOLAS VGM requires every container to have a VGM or certified weight that can be loaded onto a ship.

The INTTRA eVGM service provides operational abilities for digital submission, receipt, processing, as well as auditing of SOLAS-compliant VGMs for shippers and carriers.

NYK Line global business process management head Lincoln Leung said: "Differentiation through technology is central to the strategy of our company, and INTTRA is a key technology partner.

"The flexibility of the INTTRA eVGM solution enhances our range of customer solutions relating to SOLAS VGM, and we will benefit from the efficiencies of standardisation."

The INTTRA eVGM service helps in increasing flexibility and reducing business disruption by allowing VGM submission under various weighing and container packing conditions and submission use cases such as support of third party or authorised submissions.

The service does not require changes to the process of booking containers or providing shipping instructions.

Meanwhile, container shipping carrier provider ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has also selected the INTTRA eVGM service.