PARSIPPANY, N.J., and KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - June 7, 2016 - With implementation of a new global container weight requirement less than a month away, United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), an emerging global carrier, has extended its partnership with INTTRA, the world's ocean shipping electronic marketplace, to use the INTTRA eVGM Service as a channel to facilitate compliance with the new rule. As of July 1st, under the International Maritime Organization's Safety of Life at Sea Verified Gross Mass amendment (SOLAS VGM) as adopted, every container must have a certified weight in order to gain clearance to be loaded onto a ship.
Designed to support multiple weighing and container packing scenarios with a range of communications methods, the INTTRA eVGM Service provides the operational capabilities for digital submission, receipt, processing and auditing of SOLAS-compliant VGMs.
"We have always believed in providing our customers with solutions that suit their preference. In our partnership with INTTRA on this SOLAS compliance initiative, we reiterate this commitment," said Vijay Minocha, Global Head Customer Service and Ecommerce at UASC.
"We are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with UASC in e-commerce to VGM compliance," said Inna Kuznetsova, INTTRA's President and Chief Operating Officer. "Giving preference to digital submission of VGMs and providing UASC customers with an opportunity to standardize their submissions will create a foundation for excellent customer service."
In December 2015, UASC became a founding member of the non-commercial INTTRA eVGM Alliance, which has worked to help the industry address the challenges of SOLAS VGM through a standardized, digital approach.
The INTTRA eVGM Service comes in two versions - for Shipper and Carriers. For further information, please contact solasvgm@inttra.com.
About INTTRA
INTTRA is the world's ocean shipping electronic marketplace, information and service provider. INTTRA's innovative transaction and information products, combined with the scale of our network, empower our customers to trade with multiple parties and leverage ocean industry information to improve their business. We work with over 50 leading Carriers and NVOCCs, over 110,000 freight forwarders and shippers, and more than 100 software alliance partners to streamline and standardize the shipping process. Over 650,000 container orders are initiated on the INTTRA platform each week, representing 24 percent of global ocean container trade.
About UASC
United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is a global shipping company based in the Middle East. Founded in 1976, UASC has 185 offices around the world. The company is the largest container shipping line in the Middle East region and adjacent markets, covering 240 ports and destinations worldwide. UASC offers containerized cargo transportation, temperature controlled (reefer) and out of gauge cargo amongst other value added services to a diversified global client-base.
