Shipping software provider CargoSmart and inspection company SGS China have entered into a partnership to help shippers meet the verified gross mass requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

“We are pleased to have SGS China join our alliance network to enable shippers and weighing service providers to elevate their weighing processes with standard procedures and certified equipment to ensure VGM accuracy,” said Lionel Louie, chief commercial officer of CargoSmart. “The cooperation between CargoSmart and SGS China delivers a complementary set of solutions for shippers to achieve a high level of compliance.”

Under the partnership, shippers will be able to use solutions from both companies to follow standard weighing procedures so that they can submit the required information to ocean carriers in a timely manner.

“The alliance allows our customers to achieve VGM compliance worldwide from cargo weighing through electronic filing,” said Aaron Wang, national marketing manager of SGS China. “Shippers and weighing service providers can collaborate to submit VGM information online to multiple carriers through CargoSmart’s platform smoothly and easily.”

The new requirements, which went into effect on July 1, 2016, state that the verified gross mass of a container must be provided before it can be loaded onto a vessel.

So far, more than 30,000 logistics professionals have submitted their VGM information through CargoSmart’s solutions, according to the company.