Inland Haulage Container Weighing IHW

Inland Haulage Container Weighing, abbreviated as IHW, is a crucial service fee associated with the transportation of shipping containers to designated weighing facilities. This service is essential for obtaining the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) certification, which is a requirement under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. The VGM certification is mandated to ensure the accurate declaration of a container's total weight, thereby enhancing maritime safety and preventing accidents caused by overweight containers.

The IHW fee is typically charged by logistics providers or freight forwarders who facilitate the movement of containers from a port or a storage yard to an approved weighing station. This fee is generally borne by the shipper, although it could be negotiated to be included in the service package offered by the freight forwarder or logistics service provider. The charge is calculated based on factors such as the distance from the container's location to the weighing facility and additional handling requirements.

IHW is distinct from other related fees such as terminal handling charges or documentation fees, as it specifically pertains to the transportation and weighing process for VGM compliance. In practical terms, stakeholders must ensure that the IHW service is scheduled promptly within the logistics timeline to avoid delays in cargo departure. Accurate coordination with weighing facilities is essential to prevent bottlenecks and ensure that the VGM certification is acquired in a timely manner. Thus, logistical planning should factor in the availability and proximity of weighing facilities to optimize the cost and time efficiency of this mandatory process.