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How to Prevent Cargo Damage: Shipment Damage Analysis

To the average consumer, cargo shipping seems fairly straightforward. The buyer places an order, the product finds its way on a ship, it experiences a magical and blissful journey to its destination, and then poof! It arrives. When shipment damage does occur, they wonder how it could possibly happen.

The reality of how to prevent cargo damage and other mishaps is less rosy. Cargo owners, freight forwarders, importers, and exporters know all too well. 

Transporting goods has been a delicate logistical challenge for thousands of years—a process only made more efficient with the advent of intermodalism and shipping containers about 70 years ago. By eliminating the need to hand-load products parcel by parcel, containers were a revolutionary solution that boosted efficiency, discouraged theft, and cut costs tremendously, writes the National Ocean Service.

Still, the convenience of modern shipping doesn’t guarantee fair winds and following seas. 

A Review: Common Types of Damage

Nevermind all the logistics for documenting and preparing the goods for transport. How you pack goods onto containers, secure the containers, and subsequently unload those containers can have serious consequences on the shipment’s success. One kink in the chain, and you could face costly cargo damages.

What are the risks associated with shipping containers? Our previous article navigates the five most common types of damages shippers should watch out for. To recap, these include:

• Physical damage.
• Water damage.
• Contamination.
• Infestation.
• Reefer damage.

How do you ensure the safety of cargo? How can we prevent damage during transit? How can cargo exporters, importers, shippers, and freight forwarders reduce their risk of cargo loss? In this article, we share how to prevent cargo damage accidents and keep your shipping in smooth waters.

Tips for How to Prevent Cargo Damage

Here are some routes for keeping goods safe.

1. Practice how you package.

Safe cargo begins with strategic packaging, writes Claire de Barra of Eurosender. Regarding how to prevent cargo damage from improper packaging, do your research. Stable, thoughtfully packaged goods are much more likely to face a copper-bottomed (easy) journey than others. 

For example, when shipping heavier goods, choose containers and pallets rated to support heavy cargo, Arviem and de Barra agree. The container should be free of pre-existing damage, and if you use pallets, nothing should hang over the sides or exceed the pallet’s maximum loading height, de Barra adds. Packing beyond the pallet’s borders can weaken the container by up to 32 percent, de Barra explains in her Eurosender guide.

Your strategies of how to secure cargo can prevent the goods from moving around during transit, as well. Toward this end, lashings and dunnage materials are your friend, DiamondStar Port and Terminals advises. Lashings keep the containers secure while the material eliminates extra space for a cushioning effect, says de Barra. 

2. Document your processes

Do you have strategies to prevent cargo damage but worry about staying consistent? 

Document step-by-step packing, stacking, loading, and unloading processes, SmartTEH advises. This keeps your team on the same page about the do’s of dunnage and the dont’s of double stacking and other shipment damage risks, SmartTEH’s article says. It will also make training future team members a breeze. 

3. Be proactive against moisture damage.

Water remains one of the most common causes of cargo damage. 

Because containers are loaded and unloaded near the ocean, where the air has more moisture, containers are more likely to experience temperature fluctuations, Eurolog Packing Group says. Moisture inside the container rises to the top, building into condensation, which eventually drips down in the form of “container rain.” 

Cargo exposed to container rain can mold, rot, warp, rust, or grow bacteria, fungus, and mildew, resulting in an average 10 percent loss of all shipping container goods, Eurolog explains. Over a span of several years, those losses stack up fast. That’s why learning how to prevent cargo damage involves minimizing moisture.

You’re probably sending goods across the country or even across the world—from warm, humid climates to dry, frigid colds. Container rain conditions are practically inevitable. However, you can mitigate your risk of shipment damage by being proactive.

How can we prevent cargo damage from moisture? Eurolog shares the following tips:

• Swap wooden and corrugated containers for non-absorbent materials, like plastic crates.
• Separate non-absorbent crates from absorbent materials. Otherwise, you risk exposing them all to moisture.
• Make sure your cargo is completely dry. Then wrap it in shrink wrap or another plastic.
• Use desiccants to absorb excess moisture inside your shipping containers. 
• Consider container insulation, particularly for sensitive cargo that could be exposed to extreme temperatures.
• Don’t skimp on good ventilation. Add vents and mechanical fans to every shipment.

Furthermore, remember the risk of mid-route climate fluctuations doesn’t stop when cargo hits the road. Think ahead for railways, highways, and all the other places your shipment could go, Eurolog says. Get even more advice for how to prevent cargo damage from container rain in Eurolog’s article here.

4. Keep it clean.

Contamination and infestation sometimes walk hand in hand. Shipments damaged by animal or insect infestations can cross-contaminate uninfected goods, making them unfit for use or consumption, Arviem says. 

Luckily, there’s one common denominator for how to prevent both cargo damages: cleaning.

To reduce your risk of cargo contamination, Arviem urges proper cleaning in between cargo shipments. Additionally, take caution to separate different cargo types that shouldn’t be exposed to each other, DiamonStar says. For example, never store chemicals with items like food or clothes, as mixing the two could cause poison or pollution.

Proper cleaning and sanitation are paramount for preventing infestations, too. According to the International Institute of Marine Surveying, crew should take the time to correctly and regularly clean and disinfect the containers, dispose of waste, and communicate any observed insect activity.

5. Get inspections.

Regular inspections can also help you keep track of cargo conditions and prevent cross-contamination between damaged cargo and undamaged goods.

For starters, frozen goods should be inspected for signs of damage, like odor or color changes, writes Arviem. At different stages in the cargo’s journey, look out for damaged containers, too, DiamondStar adds in their article. This includes monitoring reefer containers’ conditions, Refrigerated Transport Electronics recommends. That way, if a reefer container does suffer a mechanical failure, you can correct it as soon as possible.

Don’t leave your risk management high and dry.

With approximately 10 percent of all container-shipped goods being discarded from moisture alone, shipment damages remain a costly issue across the industry. 

We’ve shared just a few techniques for how to prevent cargo damage. But even if you plan, monitor, and inspect your cargo perfectly, you can still face losses from unforeseen accidents.

Don’t venture into deep waters with a loose cannon looking out for you. Instead, batten down the hatches with a team of cargo insurance experts who understand your risks. Learn what the CargoProtect team can offer your business and start your coverage journey here.