SOLAS is the short-hand for the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

It is an international maritime treaty which requires countries to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with minimum safety standards in construction, equipment and operation.

The up to date version is maintained by the International Maritime Organisation.

Under SOLAS VI regulations effective from 1^st July 2016 every shipping container will be required to have a VGM – Verified Gross Mass, which is made up of the weight of all the cargo and packaging in the container, plus the weight of the container itself.

The MCA – Maritime Coastguard Agency administer method 2 approval applications to verify VGM as a ‘Verified Weigher’