Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Marking of Weight (Packages Transported by Vessels) Convention, 1929 (No. 27) - Ukraine (Ratification: 1970)

Article 1 of the Convention. Applicable legislation. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Convention is reflected in the standards set out in the Merchant Shipping Code. The Government states that, according to Article 136 of the Merchant Shipping Code, the bill of lading shall indicate the name of the cargo, its marking, and the number of packages or quantity and/or size (weight, volume), and if necessary, information on the appearance, condition and special properties of the cargo, and that Article 176 provides for the fact that the carrier is liable for any loss, shortage or damage of the cargo they agreed to transport if they are unable to prove that the loss, shortage or damage was out of their control, in particular, if resulted from insufficient or illegible marking of the cargo. However, the Committee notes that these provisions do not foresee the marking of the weight of any package or object of 1,000 kilogrammes (one metric tonne) or more gross weight consigned within its territory for transport by sea or inland waterway. With reference to its 2007 general observation on the application of the Convention, the Committee recalls that it has requested Governments to provide information on how effect is given to the Convention in relation to modern methods of cargo handling, with particular reference to containers. In this regard, the Committee notes that Ukraine is a party to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), of which Regulation 2 of Chapter VI, which entered into force on 1 July 2016, addresses the issue of the verified gross tonnage of freight containers. The Committee requests the Government to indicate any national text implementing Regulation 2 of Chapter VI of the SOLAS Convention, which would constitute a measure contributing to the implementation of Article 1 of the Convention, and to provide a copy.