Whether you are moving or simply shipping goods from one side of the world to another, you are bound to use a shipping company. As you already know, shipping containers are the best possible way to achieve such a thing. And as you are shipping container from Canada to Saudi Arabia, you must find an adequate shipping and moving company to cover this job professionally. Therefore, let us guide you through the process and explain how packing a shipping container looks like. More importantly, is it safe?
The most important part – The reliable shipping company
The most important part of any business is the company you are dealing with. If you find a fraudulent company, then it does not matter what kind of equipment and containers they use when the service they provide is a scam right from the start. Hence, the first step is to find a legit and the best sea cargo Jeddah company on the market. Preferably a reputable one with all requirements in their kit. So, go on the internet and start browsing until you find a few eligible choices. Compare prices, services, and read moving feedbacks. Of course, social media networks are a fine source of bad and good reviews. Once you find a few candidates, ensure they possess the following:
- Licenses and permits.
- Tools and equipment.
- Safety rules and regulations.
- Moving and shipping insurance.
- Knowledge, expertise, and experience.
Packing a shipping container is not rocket science but you want to ensure your investment is safe. What we listed above is a bare minimum for any company within a moving and shipping industry to provide to their customer. Ensure you receive what you deserve.
The materials used for packing
When using ocean freight to Saudi Arabia, you will use the same materials as you would for a regular home relocation. The only difference is that some furniture or specific items will be encased in a wooden crate. This is simply because of the longer voyage or for better protection. And this is applicable for valuable or extremely fragile items. You do not need to put your sofa into the wooden crate when you can simply wrap it all up into the bubble wrap.
So, for packing a shipping container you’ll need carton boxes, adhesive tape, labels, and plastic wrap. And you can do it all by yourself. Or you can hire a local moving company to cover the packing process for you. We recommend Four Winds Saudi Arabia as one of the best local choices. They can handle the entire process and ship your cargo using the best containers and cutting-edge technologies on the market. Give them a call and check out for yourself.
What techniques are used for packing a shipping container
As we already stipulated, for regular household items, you are using everyday packing materials. But, if you have specific items, then this is an entirely different story. For example, if you are shipping medicine or hazardous materials, then you must hire one of the temperature controlled shipping companies. They will provide you with an adequate temperature-controlled container that will keep the original state of your goods until it reaches the final destination.
This is applicable for artwork, expensive furniture, unique items, and more. You can ship canned food, fruit, frozen fish, etc. this way. But note that no shipping company in the world will ship a living creature inside a container. Just to remove this question out of the way. There are special companies within a different branch working on transporting animals so if you need such a service, find and call them.
Loading strategy for packing a shipping container
There are two ways to load your container on site. A live load or drop and pick. The first option is amazing when you have one or a few items to load and you can do it within an hour or two. A driver will bring the container on-site and wait for you to load it up. Each hour will have a certain price that depends on the company you are dealing with.
And packing a shipping container with the drop and pick option is good when you have a lot of items in your possession. For example, when you are moving your entire home and you need a couple of hours or even a day to load everything. In that case, your company will leave the container in front of your home or in your backyard for a day and pick it up once you are ready. Remember, each day comes with charges in the same way as a live load option does for each hour you spend. It is around $80 per hour, depending on the company.
Inspection and insurance
After you are done with packing and your cargo is ready for loading, a shipping company representative will inspect it before loading. Simply because they must be sure everything is in the right order before they put it on the ship or a plane and ship it out. So, whether you are loading your container at your home or at the shipping dock, your company must review the cargo. They can never know if you will put something that is prohibited inside one of the boxes. After the inspection is over, you can load your container, or it will be loaded by the fork lifter depending on what kind of service you purchased.
As for the insurance, your company must have one. It should be listed in your shipping contract and you must understand how it works. There are differences when it comes to packing, who packed, who loaded the cargo, and how the whole procedure was done? Moreover, if you are shipping extremely valuable cargo, seek moving and shipping insurance from the insurance company on the side. Just in case.
Packing a shipping container can be complicated if you do not research a bit about the subject beforehand. If you delve into it without any knowledge about it, you will find yourself open to all kinds of scams, mistreatment, damages, and more. Hence, read a bit about it before you start using this amazing service. Good luck and stay safe.
