South Africa Container VGM Checklist 2026

A packed export container needs more than an estimated cargo weight. The shipper must obtain and communicate its verified gross mass, or VGM, early enough for the vessel stowage plan. A missing or unsupported number can stop the container from being loaded, even when the booking, customs entry and transport to the terminal are otherwise ready.

This checklist turns the rule into a controlled South African export workflow. It follows the International Maritime Organization's SOLAS guidance and the South African Maritime Safety Authority's current Marine Notice 04-26. Sources reviewed: September 16, 2026. Always confirm the current SAMSA notice, carrier instruction, terminal process and booking cutoff for the specific shipment.

Start with the legal shipper, not the warehouse contact

The IMO guidelines define the shipper as the person or legal entity named as shipper on the bill of lading, sea waybill or equivalent multimodal transport document, or the party in whose name a contract of carriage was concluded. That definition matters because a forwarder, packer, haulier, weighbridge or terminal may perform part of the work without automatically becoming the responsible shipper.

Write the intended bill-of-lading shipper name at the top of the VGM file and compare it with the booking and shipping instructions. If a freight forwarder contracts with the carrier in its own name, confirm which entity will appear as shipper before the container is packed. Do not wait until document approval to discover that the declaration was signed for a different legal party.

Assign one authorised person to approve the VGM communication. Record the person's full name, role and authority. The IMO guidance permits an electronic signature or the authorised person's name in capital letters, but the shipper should still keep evidence that the person was allowed to sign.

Know exactly what the VGM includes

Verified gross mass is the container tare mass plus the mass of every package and cargo item, pallets, dunnage, packing material and securing material inside the container. The tare mass is the empty container's mass, normally shown on the container door. It is not the maximum payload and not the maximum gross mass on the safety approval plate.

Photograph or transcribe the container number, tare marking and CSC safety approval details before calculation. Check that the container number on the weighing evidence matches the booking and seal record. A correct weight attached to the wrong container is still a failed control.

Choose Method 1 or Method 2 before packing

SOLAS allows two methods. Under Method 1, the completed and sealed container is weighed. Under Method 2, every package and cargo item is weighed, the pallets, dunnage and securing materials are included, and the container tare is added using a certified method approved by the competent authority where packing was completed.

SAMSA Marine Notice 04-26 states that South Africa authorises or recognises weighing facilities and equipment for Method 1 and accredits competent VGM entities for assessment work. It also says a South African shipper using Method 1 may declare the VGM only from a weighing facility authorised by SAMSA. Confirm the facility's current status before dispatch instead of relying on an old supplier list or invoice description.

Method 2 is not simply a spreadsheet total. The process is subject to certification and approval. It needs controlled scales, documented procedures, identified staff, complete component weights and the correct tare mass. It is generally inappropriate for cargo such as scrap metal or unbagged grain that cannot practically be weighed item by item. Use Method 1 when the cargo or evidence cannot support the certified component method.

Build a complete Method 1 record

Book the authorised facility before the terminal journey and ask what vehicle details it needs. If the container is weighed while on a road vehicle, the IMO guidance requires the vehicle tare, and the tractor tare where applicable, to be subtracted so the result represents the packed container rather than the whole road combination.

1. Finish packing, securing and sealing the container.
2. Record container number, seal number, booking reference and shipper.
3. Use the authorised weighing arrangement and retain the original result.
4. Where separate gross and tare vehicle readings are used, link both readings to the same vehicle and container movement.
5. Calculate the packed-container result without hidden rounding.
6. Check the result against the container's maximum permitted gross mass.
7. Have the authorised shipper representative approve the declaration.

Keep timestamps, equipment or facility identity, units and the calculation trail. A handwritten total with no container number, weighing source or authorised approval is difficult to defend when the terminal or carrier identifies a discrepancy.

Build a complete Method 2 record

Create the component schedule while packing, not after the truck has left. Use a unique line for each package group and keep the unit count, unit mass, total mass, scale or source evidence and reviewer. Add pallets, crates, moisture barriers, dunnage, bracing, lashings and other securing material. The final schedule should reconcile to the packing list without pretending the two documents serve the same purpose.

Use the exact tare marking for the allocated container. A standard tare copied from a booking template can be wrong for the physical unit supplied. Freeze the schedule after the seal is applied. If cargo is added, removed or repacked, reopen the record, recalculate the VGM and preserve the reason for the revision.

The SAMSA notice also connects the VGM process to proper container packing and documentary evidence. Train the staff who pack, load and secure the cargo, and keep the applicable procedure and assessment evidence. The calculation is only as reliable as the controlled measurements feeding it.

Prepare the signed shipping communication

The VGM may be part of the shipping instructions or a separate declaration. Label the number clearly as verified gross mass and state the unit. Include the container number, booking or shipment reference, method used, shipper's legal name, authorised signer's name and the declaration date. Add facility or certificate references required by the South African process, carrier or terminal.

SOLAS does not prescribe one universal clock time for submission. It requires the master or representative and the terminal representative to receive the VGM sufficiently early for the stowage plan. The carrier must communicate its specific deadline after coordination with the terminal. Treat the booking confirmation or carrier portal cutoff as a shipment control, not as a permanent port rule.

Submit through the instructed channel and retain proof of successful receipt. A sent email is weaker evidence than an accepted portal status or carrier confirmation. Compare the submitted VGM with the weight in the shipping instructions and other cargo documents. Explain legitimate differences instead of silently changing one record.

Resolve exceptions before they become rollovers

A packed container without VGM should not be loaded unless the master or representative and terminal representative obtain the VGM by another agreed means. The IMO guidance allows a terminal or other party to arrange weighing, but the commercial parties must agree how it will happen and who bears the cost. Do not budget on emergency terminal weighing without a confirmed service and price.

If the terminal obtains a later verified weight that conflicts with an earlier VGM, the IMO guidelines say the terminal result should resolve the discrepancy. If the VGM exceeds the maximum gross mass on the CSC plate, the container may not be loaded. Rework may require controlled unpacking, resealing, document revision, transport coordination and a new VGM.

Carrier rules may add their own discrepancy controls. For example, Maersk's January 2025 notice for Uganda shipments moving through Mombasa describes a carrier-specific weight-discrepancy threshold and asks customers to align shipping-instruction VGM with the terminal handover value. That is useful evidence that operational controls vary by route, but it is not a universal South African tolerance. Check the current local instruction for the actual carrier, port and shipment.

Keep VGM aligned with the wider export file

VGM does not replace the commercial invoice, packing list, customs declaration, dangerous-goods documentation, certificate of origin or bill of lading instructions. Reconcile shared identifiers across the file: shipper, consignee, booking, container, seal, package count, cargo description and gross weight. Investigate differences while source records are still available.

Use the AfroTools Bill of Lading Template to prepare an internal draft for review. It does not issue a carrier bill of lading. Use the Customs Clearance Time Estimator and Demurrage Calculator for planning buffers and user-entered cost assumptions. None of these tools verifies mass, submits VGM, books terminal services or guarantees vessel loading.

South Africa VGM file checklist

• Current SAMSA notice and carrier or terminal instruction checked on a recorded date.
• Legal shipper matches the intended transport document and contract of carriage.
• Container number, seal, tare and CSC maximum gross mass recorded.
• Method 1 authorised facility or Method 2 certified process confirmed before packing.
• All cargo, packaging, pallets, dunnage and securing material included where Method 2 applies.
• Road vehicle and tractor tare treated correctly where a combined weighbridge method is used.
• VGM result checked against the safety plate and related shipping records.
• Declaration clearly labelled, dated and approved by an authorised shipper representative.
• Carrier and terminal received the VGM before the booking-specific cutoff.
• Acceptance proof, weighing evidence, calculation trail and revisions retained together.

Primary sources reviewed September 16, 2026

• South African Maritime Safety Authority marine notices, including Marine Notice 04-26, Verification of the Gross Mass of Packed Containers.
• International Maritime Organization VGM overview, for the shipper responsibility, loading condition and two permitted methods.
• IMO MSC.1/Circ.1475 guidelines, for definitions, documentation, equipment, deadlines, discrepancies and road-vehicle weighing.
• Maersk VGM measurement support, for current carrier-facing explanations of the two weighing methods.
• Maersk Uganda shipment discrepancy notice, used only as a route-specific example of carrier controls.