Problems of underestimation of the weight of the load in containers, moved by sea transport

The market of container transportation is actively developing due to the universality of containers. It opens wide opportunities for transportation of absolutely any type of cargo, regardless of their volume, size and chemical condition. At the same time, the negative consequence of the use of this method of delivery is the understatement of the weight of cargo in containers by shippers, which entails a violation of customs legislation and the failure to receive customs payments and their transfer to the Federal budget in full. It is noted that the process of transportation of goods in containers by sea is accompanied by a large number of documents, and the VGM certificate is the main document confirming and containing the weight characteristics ofthe container, so we consider it in more detail. The article also considers the grounds for refusal to load containers on Board the vessel, as well as the consequences ofthe statement ofthe incorrect weight ofthe cargo in the container. In addition, the article States that in practice, the procedure for cargo operations is defined, which consists in the preparation ofthe necessary documents by the shipper for each container ofthe necessary cargo documents with the name ofthe cargo, the gross weight ofthe cargo loaded into the container unit and other data. Trying to avoid payment of customs duties in full, many unscrupulous transport companies are deliberately trying to understate the weight ofthe goods in the container module during transportation by sea. In this regard, the authors proposed recommendations to address the issue of understating the weight of cargo in containers transported by sea.