Weight watching

A ship agent manifested cargo incorrectly due to converting the weight into the wrong unit of measurement. The agent converted kilograms into metric tons instead of imperial tonnes as required by local customs regulations. The weight was 21,898,594 Kgs and the agent simply divided that number by 1000 to arrive at 21,898.594 metric tons. They then filled in the imperial tonnes box with this figure. However, the correct weigh in imperial tonnes should have been 21,551.73.

The ship agent tried to obtain a permit from the local customs authority to correct the manifest as otherwise it would not have been possible to unload the cargo at the designated port of discharge.

Due to a public holiday there was a delay in receiving a response from the authorities to make the corrections. Eventually, the permit was granted but the delay meant extra time was spent in the port. The agent was held liable for these additional costs which were in excess of US$ 40,000, which was reimbursed by ITIC.