Batam's climate is hot and humid all year. A container loaded on a Monday morning can sit in a yard, cross the sea, and then travel inland for days. Inside that steel box, temperature swings produce condensation that drips onto the cargo - the industry calls it container rain. Good packing is therefore not about being generous with cardboard. It is about controlling moisture, weight and information.
Start with the cartons
Use double-wall corrugated board for anything stacked more than two high, and check the burst strength rather than the price. A carton that bulges under load transfers that load to the product. Fill voids completely - an empty space inside a carton becomes a collapsing wall after a week at sea.
Pallets and the ISPM 15 rule
Solid wood packaging - pallets, crates, dunnage - must comply with ISPM 15, the international standard for wood packaging in trade. That means the wood is heat treated or fumigated and the packaging carries the IPPC mark with the country code and treatment code. Untreated wood can be refused, fumigated at your cost, or returned. Plywood and plastic pallets are outside the rule, which is one reason exporters switch to them.
Control the moisture
- Use container desiccant strips or bags sized to the volume and the voyage length; silica gel sachets inside cartons are not a substitute for container-level protection.
- Do not pack warm goods. Let them cool to ambient temperature first, or the moisture they release stays inside the box.
- For machinery and metal parts, add VCI film or paper to prevent corrosion during weeks of humidity cycling.
- Wrap pallets in stretch film, but leave the top breathable during pre-transport storage so condensation can escape before the container is sealed.
- Photograph the container floor before loading. A damp floor is a warning sign that should be documented.
Marks that survive the journey
Shipping marks should be printed on two sides of every carton and repeated on the packing list: consignee, destination port, carton number in a sequence, gross and net weight, dimensions, country of origin and the HS code where relevant. Add standard handling pictograms - this way up, keep dry, fragile, centre of gravity - and write the marks in waterproof ink. A label written with a marker smudges in a humid container.
If the cargo is dangerous
Batteries, aerosols, paints, solvents, magnets and some cosmetics are regulated. They need a safety data sheet, the correct UN number and proper class, compliant packaging and a declaration that the forwarder can accept. Booking dangerous goods late - or not declaring them - is how shipments get held, fined or rejected by the carrier.
Before the doors close
Take photographs of the packed container, the seal number and the closed doors. Those images are the cheapest insurance evidence you will ever have if a claim is filed later. Record the seal number on the bill of lading instructions and tell the buyer the number in advance.
ISL Group can review your packing plan before the cargo is collected, advise on the right pallet type and desiccant quantity for your route, and coordinate photographic evidence at loading. Send us the dimensions and destination, and we will tell you what the voyage is likely to do to your packaging.
