Notice to Australian Importers and Exporters re: Accuracy of Declared Container Weight
Notice to Australian Importers and Exporters re: Accuracy of Declared Container Weight
01/06/2022
Please be advised that the Pondus weighing solution has been implemented into Patrick Terminals – Sydney AutoStrad operations from 17 January 2022. Pondus is an innovative weighing solution that helps drive safety across the container handling sector. Mis-declared containers create potential safety risks throughout the supply chain from transport companies to terminal operators and shipping lines. This new weighing solution, Pondus, helps identify mis-declared weights by statistically sampling containers for weighing and then automatically notifying customers of weight discrepancies (+/- 1t) allowing parties to better meet their Chain of Responsibility obligations.
It is the shipper’s responsibility to ensure that the correct weight of a container is documented prior to it being discharged or received at a Patrick’s Terminal by their nominated carrier.
Both import and export containers will be statistically sampled for weighing on the Pondus stand. Any misdeclared container found to be outside of the 1-tonne tolerance will be charged a Weight Amendment Fee.
For import containers, the transport carrier will be charged and for export containers, the shipping line will be charged.
For exports, this fee will be on passed by the shipping line to the shipper/booking party along with an administration fee of AUD 20 per container. For imports, consignee’s carriers will be advised, via the VBS of the Pondus weight prior to picking up an import container from the terminal and will be provided with a link to the weight certification. The number of boxes weighed will be governed by what is reasonably practicable, given the operational circumstances prevailing at the time. Patrick advised customers on 5 November 2020 that a new charge (Weight Amendment Fee) in relation to Pondus would be progressively introduced for containers found to be misdeclared. This occurred on 4 January 2021 in Brisbane. Pondus was subsequently implemented at Patrick Terminals – Melbourne at East Swanson Dock on 4 October 2021. This new charge will come into effect from 17 January 2022 in Sydney.
A Weight Amendment Fee of AUD 230.00 per container (inclusive of GST) will apply to all containers determined by the Pondus Stand to have a weight variance of greater than +/- one metric tonne within the documented weight (VGM). The Weight Amendment Fee will not apply to importers and exporters who have accurately declared their container weights.