Mediterranean Shipping Company has entered into a partnership with electronic marketplace INTTRA to come up with a customer-friendly solution to address the new verified-gross-mass requirements.

Under the agreement, MSC will adopt INTTRA’s eVGM software to receive VGM submissions from shippers.

“We are pleased to partner with INTTRA to implement their innovative eVGM software on a global basis,” said Fabio Catassi, chief technical officer of MSC. “INTTRA’s eVGM tool will help us to continue to provide superior customer service and make it as easy as possible for our clients to submit VGMs digitally.  We believe this tool will help minimize potential disruption to our customers’ shipments and additional costs associated with terminal storage or transportation.”

In order to share its expertise and help with refining business standards, MSC has also joined the group of carriers, freight forwarders and terminals that are part of INTTRA’s eVGM Initiative.

“We are happy to partner with MSC in globally adopting INTTRA’s eVGM for Carriers platform, and we appreciate that they are adding their expertise to the eVGM Initiative,” said John Fay, CEO of INTTRA. “MSC is taking a strategic step to embrace our eVGM solution on a large scale and is an early leader in using technology to resolve the changes that SOLAS VGM has created for the industry.”

The International Maritime Organization’s Safety of Life at Sea amendment, which states that carriers must be provided with a container’s verified weight before loading, is due to come into effect on July 1, 2016.