For every packed bulk-tea container moving by sea, identify the legal shipper, choose an authorised verified-gross-mass method, preserve the weighing inputs, and send one approved VGM to the carrier before its cut-off. Then confirm that the carrier and terminal received the same container number, mass, method and authorised signatory. A packing list total, Customs weight, booking estimate or maximum payload is not automatically a SOLAS VGM.
This checklist is narrower than the site's container-loading guide. Loading planning estimates fit and payload; VGM is the regulated final gross mass used for vessel stow planning after packing.
Build one VGM handoff record
| Control field | What to define | Evidence to retain | Stop or hold trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Responsible shipper | Legal entity named as shipper in the bill of lading, sea waybill or equivalent transport document | Booking and transport-document instruction | The party expected to sign cannot be reconciled with the shipper |
| Container identity | Container number, size/type, seal and booking | Loading and seal photographs | VGM is linked to another container or booking |
| Applicable route | Packing country, load port, carrier, terminal and sailing | Dated legal and operational check | Competent authority or carrier procedure is unknown |
| Verification method | Method 1 whole-container weighing or approved Method 2 calculation | Named procedure and responsible person | A hybrid estimate is labelled as verified |
| Mass inputs | Scale result, or every package, pallet, dunnage, securing item and container tare | Weigh tickets or controlled calculation sheet | Nominal values, omitted materials or stale tare data |
| Equipment and approval | Applicable calibration, verification and Method 2 approval requirements | Valid equipment or procedure evidence | Evidence is expired, untraceable or outside scope |
| Declaration | VGM, unit, method, statement, authorised signatory and verification date | Final signed or electronically authorised document | Unsigned, ambiguous or manually altered value |
| Transmission | Carrier channel, terminal route, cut-off, acknowledgement and revision control | Time-stamped submission and receipt status | Late, rejected, conflicting or unacknowledged message |
| Discrepancy decision | Reweigh trigger, supersession rule, cost owner and load authority | Exception file and final accepted VGM | Two active values or mass above the container maximum |
Run a nine-step VGM workflow
1. Name the SOLAS shipper before packing
IMO places responsibility for obtaining and documenting VGM on the shipper named on the bill of lading, sea waybill or equivalent transport document, or the party in whose name the carriage contract was concluded. A factory, forwarder or weighbridge may perform tasks, but delegation does not transfer that responsibility. Record the legal name, authorised signer and escalation contact before loading.
2. Freeze the operational route and cut-off
Record the packing country, load port, terminal, carrier, vessel/voyage and gate-in. SOLAS sets no universal clock time; VGM must arrive early enough for the master or representative and terminal to use it in the stow plan. Obtain the carrier's actual cut-off and add internal review time.
3. Choose Method 1 or Method 2 deliberately
Method 1 weighs the packed, sealed container using calibrated and certified equipment. Method 2 weighs every package and cargo item, plus pallets, dunnage and securing material, then adds the container tare under a certified method approved where packing and sealing occurred. Discrete tea bags or cartons suit Method 2 only when every input and the approved procedure are controlled. Sales quantities or average bag weights are not enough.
4. Reconcile every mass component
For Method 1, control identity, seal, weigh time, equipment, gross reading and any tractor or chassis subtraction. Two trailers carrying two containers cannot establish each container's mass. For Method 2, reconcile package count and measured masses, pallets, liners, desiccants, dunnage, bracing and securing materials. Read tare from the actual container and investigate an implausible marking.
5. Keep VGM separate from four similar numbers
- Tea net mass is the product quantity excluding packaging.
- Cargo or packing-list gross mass normally covers goods and their packages but may exclude container tare and load-securing items.
- Estimated booking mass supports planning before the final load exists.
- Maximum gross mass on the CSC safety approval plate is a ceiling, not the actual packed mass.
- VGM is the verified actual gross mass of the packed container produced by an accepted method.
Put the definition and unit beside every number. A container must not exceed its maximum permitted gross mass even if a VGM document has been generated.
6. Issue one controlled declaration
The shipping document should identify the value as “verified gross mass” and be signed by a person authorised by the shipper; an electronic signature or authorised name in capitals is permitted. China's framework requires the verified mass, method and prescribed declaration. Build it from locked source records, use kilograms consistently and review digits and container numbers.
7. Verify the whole information chain
Submit through the carrier's approved channel and record message ID, time, status and value. The shipper may submit to the shipping company for onward terminal transmission, or directly to the terminal where arranged. Require evidence that the accepted value reached both sides: “sent to the forwarder” is not accepted for stow planning.
8. Stop conflicting or late records
If the terminal weighs the container and obtains a different verified mass, IMO guidance says the terminal-obtained VGM resolves that discrepancy. In mainland China, the current Ship Safety Supervision Rules require the declared verified mass to be within both 5% and 1 tonne of actual mass, effectively the tighter limit, and not above the container's maximum gross mass. A 2025 Shanghai MSA decision shows that correcting the terminal record without timely carrier notification did not cure the original handoff failure. Hold the record, reverify as required, notify every recipient and mark the superseded value unusable.
9. Close the shipment and contract file
Retain the accepted VGM, source evidence, declaration, acknowledgements and revisions with the loading and seal-custody record. Allocate terminal weighing, storage, demurrage, return, rehandling and missed-sailing costs. Terminal or master representatives may arrange contingency weighing, but availability and cost depend on commercial arrangements.
Keep five requirement types separate
- Legal requirement: SOLAS VI/2 and the law of the competent State govern verification, documentation and loading eligibility.
- International guidance: IMO MSC.1/Circ.1475 explains the two methods, documents, equipment, handoffs, discrepancies and contingencies. National implementation controls approval and enforcement.
- Trade reference: a booking estimate, packing list, weigh ticket or terminal screen helps the file but is not automatically the final authorised VGM.
- Buyer specification: defines method, evidence, internal tolerances, approval, cut-off margin, acknowledgement and discrepancy stops.
- Contract requirement: allocates tasks, communication, amendment authority and costs among seller, buyer, forwarder and carrier without removing the legal shipper's duty or the master's loading discretion.
Common buyer mistakes
- Assuming the factory or forwarder is the SOLAS shipper without checking the transport document.
- Submitting planned container gross mass before the actual container, tare and final securing materials are known.
- Using nominal 25 kg bag weights instead of controlled measured inputs under an approved Method 2 procedure.
- Leaving out pallets, liners, desiccants, braces or other securing material.
- Copying a tare value from a booking or another container.
- Confusing the CSC maximum gross mass with VGM.
- Sending the correct value after the carrier cut-off and assuming gate-in proves acceptance.
- Correcting one platform while an older value remains active with the carrier or terminal.
- Treating China's enforcement tolerance as permission to estimate.
- Keeping no evidence that an authorised person approved the declaration.
Practical conclusion
Use the sequence name shipper - freeze route - choose method - capture inputs - reconcile definitions - authorise declaration - confirm receipt - control revisions - close evidence. The useful output is one accepted, shipment-linked VGM that the carrier and terminal can use before loading, supported by records that explain exactly how it was obtained.
Connect the process to Yunjing Tea's bulk packing and container plan, pre-shipment inspection checklist and sample-to-shipment quality controls. Then send the product, pack format, destination and planned container type for a specification-based discussion.
Sources checked 16 October 2026: the IMO's current VGM overview and MSC.1/Circ.1475 guidelines; China's Ministry of Transport Ship Safety Supervision Rules and Jiaohai Fa [2016] No. 92 implementation notice; and the Shanghai MSA's 2025 VGM enforcement decision. The Jiangsu MSA also reported active VGM verification enforcement in July 2026. Recheck the competent authority, carrier, terminal, cut-off and contract for every shipment.
