container & ports

Containers are heavy, bulky loads, and you must take care when you load them, which is why we suggest certain best practices. Doing so will help you conduct your shipping container loading operations much more safely.

Before you load anything into a container, you should inspect it. If it’s not in good condition, you could be exposing yourself to loss of cargo, and to damaged goods and claims. It’s up to you to make sure the container is suitable for holding the goods while they’re in transportation. Reject any container that could leak, poses a safety hazard or has any defects that could endanger the cargo.

• there are no dents, bulges or damage to the walls of the container;
• the roof has no holes or cracks in it;
• the doors close tightly and are watertight;
• the lock rods close and lock correctly;
• the container has slots for the seals, and you can use these slots;
• you’ve removed any placards and markings for previous hazardous cargo, precautions or destinations.

• The container is clean, dry and there are no strange smells or stains.
• The floorboard isn’t broken and doesn’t have any cracks in it.
• There are no nails or other protruding elements that could damage the cargo;
• No light is coming in through the walls or the ceiling and there are no fractured welds. If it does, there are holes. Check with a hose if you’re not sure.
• The cargo is fitted with plenty of restraint devices and these are in good condition.

• motors and compressors are operating well and are performing as they should;
• motors and compressors have adequate supply of oil and any necessary fuels;
• there are no leaks in the valves or piping, and that they have tight fittings;
• electrical wiring is clean and free of corrosion;
• electrical switches operate correctly.

As the shipper, you’re responsible for packing and loading goods in a way that allows them to make it to their destination in the right condition. Following correct loading practices will help you to fulfil these responsibilities and achieve this. Incorrect packing and loading can catch the eye of customs on the x-rays, which can derail your schedule if they decide to investigate what you’re transporting and whether it’s illegal.

Ideally, you want to pack the container to capacity; this isn’t always possible, however. Sometimes, you’ll need to pack padding or dunnage between cargo items so that they don’t suffer any damage during transit. If you’re wrapping cargo in dunnage, measure the volume when wrapped so you can calculate accurately before loading the number of items you can carry.

When packing the container, there are several best practices you should follow:

It’s always best to plan for container unloading and how you’re going to unload the items. The items you’re unloading first should go into the container last; leave enough room at the top for any items you’ll be moving with a forklift (which might not be necessary with our technology). Use partitions, dividers or paper or plastic sheets to divide the cargo if you’re sending it to more than one recipient. 

To protect cargo, fill empty spaces with dunnage and avoid jamming any cargo in the door of the container. Place a partition to protect the container doors and prevent any cargo from falling out when you open them.

It’s always best to plan for container unloading and how you’re going to unload the items. The items you’re unloading first should go into the container last; leave enough room at the top for any items you’ll be moving with a forklift (which might not be necessary with our technology). Use partitions, dividers or paper or plastic sheets to divide the cargo if you’re sending it to more than one recipient. 

To protect cargo, fill empty spaces with dunnage and avoid jamming any cargo in the door of the container. Place a partition to protect the container doors and prevent any cargo from falling out when you open them.

Spread the weight evenly across the floor of the container, and avoid placing all the heavy items in just one corner. When stacking, ensure cargo tier levels are equal, and stack all boxes or crates of uniform size on top of each other.

If items are heavy, box them, crate them or skid them. Use cradles of skids to spread the weight of machinery or heavy items out evenly. You can separate boxes, crates etc of different weights or sizes by using a partition or divider.

Use all the space from wall to wall of the container, and fill any empty spaces with dunnage to protect the cargo. If there are any empty spaces at the top, sides or ends, fill them with partitions.

Cargo often shifts during transit, which can lead to goods suffering damage or breaking. Avoid stacking it all in the back half of the container. Block, brace or tie down cargo to stop it from moving in any direction. To stop any leakage, cover any cargo adjacent to doors with a waterproof sheet.

Some cargo can be problematic when mixed with other types of cargo, so take precautions to avoid mixing them.

If cargo is susceptible to water damage or tainting, keep it away from any cargo that gives off moisture or an odour. Load any cargo that has the potential to leak or spill at the bottom, and separate liquid cargo from your other cargo. Of course, keep chemicals away from food.

Cargo can easily crush during shipping. Load heavy items at the bottom, and place dunnage between items to prevent crushing or other types of damage. If any cargo has sharp projections or odd shapes, box them, crate them or pad them so they can’t damage the other goods in the container.

If you have to transport combustibles; explosives; flammable liquids or solids; materials that are radioactive, magnetised, gaseous or corrosive; poisons; oxidisers; alkalis; or etiological materials (i.e. that can cause disease or illness); check the rules and regulations with your carrier around these.

Confirm, too, with the carrier that the hazardous materials placard will comply with the en-route and/or destination country regulations. Make a record of the nature of all the cargo on the shipping documents and attach a ‘Hazardous Material’ property label to the container.

The last step, before you pick up the container, is securing the shipment. Close all the doors. Affix the locks and seals. Check you’ve engaged all the locking lugs. Enter all the seal numbers on the shipping documents. Make sure you’ve applied all the hazardous material labels and container placards.

With its specific loading technology for port loading, container lifting, loading and unloading, we’ve played a global leading role in this industry for over 40 years.

We offer you an ideal container loading system that allows you to load and unload containers from trucks in minutes. In addition, thanks to our container loading machine, you can load heavy goods into standard containers, eliminating the need for an expensive open-top container.

Overall, our container loading system gives crews greater control over the placement of palletised and un-palletised cargo going into containers. It works for pieces of machinery, air cargo containers, drums, coils and other sizable products, filling a container with up to 28 tonnes of pre-assembled loads in just 15 minutes.