THE purchase of weighing equipment is being delayed because of insufficient legal guidelines about the July 1 enforcement of the United Nations rule demanding the provision of verified container weights before loading, says major Swiss forwarder Panalpina.

The forwarder has warned of a possible last-minute rush to buy certified container-weighing equipment as the introduction of new container-weighing rules draws closer.

A senior forwarding representative has also said forwarders are not yet ready for the changes, reported Lloyd's Loading List.

Panalpina ocean freight chief Dennis Heineke said only a few countries had so far defined exact specifications about the class of balances to be used.

Mr Heineke is also concerned that "a significant number of container" will be left behind if the weight is not made available in time. "This could lead to unforeseen costs that the shipper is possibly not prepared to bear."

Transshipment containers, loaded before the new rules take effect but only moved to a port after 1 July, are also an issue, he said.

"Here we have contradicting statements from carriers on whether the weight already has to be transmitted with the booking prior to 1 July," said Mr Heineke.

Herbert de St Simon, president of the Forwarding branch of France's leading trade body in the sector, Transport et Logistique de France (TLF), asked in the event of problems arising from them, who was responsible?

"These are issues we are debating with shippers and shipping lines at the moment and we are confident of finding a solution," he said. "In my view, July 1 is ambitious for the introduction of SOLAS."

To Swiss forwarding giant Kuehne + Nagel's statement that SOLAS is unnecessary and will complicate and add costs to supply chains, Mr de St Simon said: "I understand the reaction of K+N because, in the end, finding a solution to making SOLAS work will fall largely on the shoulders of forwarder