What Precautions Do I Need to Take When Transporting Wet Cargo by Air?

Air cargo transportation companies take the packing and transiting of the wet products cautiously. Leaking and other damages of wet cargo could end up in a great deal of danger for both the product inside alongside the freight plane itself. Companies with air transport facilities always provide special care to eliminate these possibilities of hazard. And that’s what classifies them as one of the best air freight companies.

Still, there is a past incidence in which the cargo got damaged due to moisture. Various products are being transported across the globe to several regions - that includes products that contain or discharge liquid by their nature. Shipping companies always take good care of such items to not let them damage on the way to the destination.

However, even after a great deal of caution in freezing and packing the cargo, some of them still manage to undone during the flight. It leads to the moisturization on the parts of the flight, which makes it vulnerable to corrosion of metal parts. Some effective practices should be followed by the shipping companies for the safe transporting of wet cargo. Here we introduce you to those points in the following section of the article.

Wet Cargo Products

Wet cargo products are always stacked under a special classification to handle them more carefully with extra care in packing and transport. These products could get moisture-damaged due to any leak that happens in between packing, moving, transporting, landing, delivering, or any other actions.

Here are some of the products that come under wet cargo among shipping services. These goods are internally or externally vulnerable to moisture while in nature - that implies more care.

• The first instance for the wet cargo is the water itself. Several energy drinks and solutions are being transported across the world on a daily basis. Any product that is in its liquid state is listed under wet cargo.
• Frozen products that are open to damage in their natural state are also wet cargo. Fruits, meat, vegetables, and more are such items that need to be frozen to keep them intact while being delivered across various destinations.
• Ice packing is a common scene in keeping the seafood items fresh. They can keep the freshness if covered with ice all around them. Although, the whole package of ice and the product has to be sealed inside a high-quality container to not let them leak all around the inside of the flight.
• Animals are also shipped across the countries. They are living beings with various needs and issues related to water. They secrete or need water during transportation. It is a circumstance in which no one can stop them from being in any of their natural habits. So, they have to be kept in separate sections with all the amenities they need to be healthy during the flight.

International Air Transport, Association already introduced several guidelines according to the process included in the transport of various cargo products.

Why care is important with Wet Cargo?

Packing goods with boxes made of products that are not soluble with the contact of water particles is significant to keep them safe from water damage. The same damage can happen from inside the pack with any leakage if it contains products that are naturally liquid or produce liquid.

Keeping the cargo inside a metal container does not make them safe from being water damaged during the shipment process. The metal body of the container will get cold during the rain or at high altitude and start to sweat inside them - which could eventually form droplets of water and rain over the packages stacked inside the container. Anything that comes in contact with these water droplets over time becomes not usable anymore or starts to melt due to the temperature variance.

This strongly recommends the shipping companies use more insulation for the wet cargo while being shipped over the sky. It is impossible to completely keep the warm air out of the shipment packages of wet cargo products. The humidity created due to the warm air is a major problem in products that are vulnerable to moisture damage. Warm air could get inside the container during any of the shipping-related processes from packing to delivering.

Moisture damage happening to the products packed in a box is one concern. Another major issue comes with the goods that are naturally connected to water. Anything frozen or iced can leak out of the box - that coils cause damage to the freight flight alongside the product itself. It will lead to the decaying process of such products - eventually form foul smells aside from the fungal growth.

• Companies suffer from a loss in loads of money due to the goods being spoiled because of moisturization during transportation. Some of these more valuable products cause long-term losses for the companies. Rusting of transportation medium - in this case, it is a plane, and contamination of the goods are the most prominent issues caused by leaks or other issues in wet cargo transportation.
• The nature of adding water and metal together could cause rusting over time. The same happens with any leak in the wet cargo products that are not securely packed enough. Any packing box made of metal could become less handy during the rest of the transportation due to rusting. The situation changes when the rust spreads to the vehicle or airplane that carries the goods. Every corner of a plane has its role in keeping the flight safe on air. Rusting of a bit from any of those parts could lead to extensive repair jobs.
• Contamination of the products is the next concern that comes with the transportation of the wet cargo on air. The goods like meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and more start decaying from the time they lose the frozen state. Besides, the ice spread around the seafood items melting is also a reason that causes the same.
• Even the slightest leak in wet cargo could cause its sustainability. Companies throw away millions of tons of products in the garbage due to water damage. These items become no longer useful for any of the business services when they are damaged. It does not matter how big the damage is, each portion of defective productive is a loss for the company.

Preventive Methods to Keep Wet Cargo Secured on Air Transportation

All products - including wet or not need to be secured intact to keep them away from water damage by their nature or due to the climatic circumstances around them. Packages that are made of good quality materials which can stand strong under all weather conditions are the prominent precaution that every shipping company should consider.

• Choice of Pallets: Pallets are used to carry the goods securely, and most of the pallets used for the purpose are made of wood. Wood has pores in it which could cause the introduction of warm air inside the pallets containing frozen wet cargo. The contact with warm air and humidity makes them melt inside the pallets.

  Using plastic or pallets made of such materials is more recommended to transport wet cargo in a plane. Wooden pallets are used extensively due to their availability and affordability.

• Never fill the bottles: There are chances of various leakages that happen to the products that come in liquid form. It is not recommended to fill the containers that carry water or such products in liquid form. Leaving about 20 percent of the container without filling is the recommended method to prevent leakage due to the changes in the temperature during transit.
• Polythene bags for live fish: Live fishes for aquariums and other breeding purposes are being transported all across the world. Fish- dead or live comes under wet cargo. In this case, the fish should be kept safe inside polythene bags that are filled a third of the whole capacity.
• Use sheets under wet cargo: It’s always recommended to use some kind of sheeting under the wet cargo with a material that can store the water that is secreted due to any leaks.

Companies or personals who need to transport any wet cargo on air across the world should consider the best shipping company for the secure transport of their products. SkyOcean Shipping LLC does multiple checks on the packing and other cargo-related security measures - which took us to be one of the top freight forwarding companies in Dubai.