PIL Shipping line Announces $30,000 Per Container Penalty Charges For Cargo Weight Misdeclaration

Pacific International Lines (PIL) plans to impose a penalty of US$30,000 per container for any misdeclaration of the cargo weight, a charge that is effective as of 15th February.

Misdeclaration with respect to the aforementioned charge includes but is not limited to incorrect or partial declaration, late declaration, alteration, or omission of such declaration, according to the company’s official release.

The Singapore-headquartered carrier in a statement said, “A charge of US$30,000 per container globally will be imposed as part of PIL’s tariff upon the shipper and/or consignee making any misdeclaration of the cargo weight which in effect exceeds the maximum payload of the container used for the carriage.”

According to the notice, in addition to this charge, amongst others, the shipper and consignee will be held liable and responsible for all corrective measures, claims, fines, liabilities, losses, delays, damages or expenses due to the consequence of such misdeclaration.

Failing to properly declare cargo weight results in a breach of contract which violates the applicable law, endangers lives and adversely affects the operations of the entirety of the supply chain, according to PIL, which notified, “we focus on making continual improvements to our safety practices to protect our crew, ships and cargo.”