DB Schenker has adopted the INTTRA eVGM Service to facilitate customer compliance with new container weight requirements.

Under the International Maritime Association’s Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) verified gross mass (VGM) amendment, only containers with VGMs, or certified weights, can be authorized to be loaded onto ships. The safety measure, which went into effect on July 1, 2016, aims to ensure optimal balance of cargo for maximum stability of container ships worldwide.

INTTRA provides an ocean shipping electronic marketplace. DB Schenker is a global logistics services providers.

“Our customers benefit from the partnership as increased efficiencies and lean processes minimize operational expenses and improve the flow of information,” said Marcus Leaver, Senior Vice President of Global Ocean Freight at Schenker AG.

“Taking advantage of standardized submissions to multiple carriers on a single platform helps DB Schenker to facilitate seamless customer service and grow operational efficiency,” said Inna Kuznetsova, INTTRA’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

INTTRA eVGM Service provides the operational capabilities for digital submission, receipt, processing and auditing of SOLAS-compliant VGMs for shippers and carriers. INTTRA eVGM creates efficiency and simplicity by enabling the exchange of VGMs with multiple carriers in a standardized way through a single channel. The service maximizes flexibility and minimizes business disruption by facilitating VGM submission under multiple weighing and container packing scenarios and submission use cases—including support of third party or authorized submissions—without requiring changes to the process of booking containers or providing shipping instructions. Users can transact via EDI, web service, web online, or mobile formats.

DB Schenker employs 66,000 people and has revenues of over 15 billion euros. Its three business segments–land transport, air/ocean freight and contract logistics/SCM—make DB Schenker one of the world’s leading logistics service providers.