For goods shipped to the southern hemisphere in summer, it is necessary to prevent moisture in the container.
Summer in the northern hemisphere is here, and as the sun crosses the equator all the way north, the temperature we feel soars with the arrival of summer. Our country has begun to enter a hot and humid climate.
In the global shipping of goods by sea, the goods shipped from the northern hemisphere in this season are in a high temperature and high humidity environment when they are packed. Not only the humidity content in the air is high, but the moisture content of the packaged cartons, pallets, and the goods themselves will also be higher than others. The season is high. It is very easy to have more than tens of liters of moisture in a container.
The real-time record of an online ship tracking system shows the footprint of the cargo ship from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. Image source: Marine Traffic https://www.marinetraffic.com
When the cargo ship leaves the port to the south, crosses the equator and enters the southern hemisphere, the temperature gets lower and lower as it goes south, and the humidity inside the container shows the following centralized trend
1) As the temperature decreases, the air's ability to absorb moisture decreases, and the relative humidity gradually rises until it reaches 100%, which will form container condensation;
2) The moisture in the cargo itself and packaging materials will evaporate into the air with temperature changes, increasing the risk of container rain;
As the voyage time becomes longer, the quality of the damp cargo will be greatly affected, such as deterioration and agglomeration. After the cartons and pallets are repeatedly damp, they gradually lose their strength, produce mold, and affect the goods.
Example: The picture below is the data recorded by a container from Guangzhou, China to Melbourne, Australia in August. Shipment from 8/10 – 8/30 to Hong Kong, the temperature in the northern hemisphere is generally around 30°C. After arriving in Australia, the temperature once dropped to below 8°C, with a 22°C drop in between.
This route is relatively short. Although it is only 20 days, the container desiccant placed in the container has absorbed more than 30kg of water.
In this actual case: the unused desiccant caused the goods to become damp in the container, and the cartons became soft, which affected sales and could only be repackaged; after the desiccant was used, the goods were still intact when they arrived at the port.
According to our experience, in container transportation, goods transported from a hot place to a cold place are always at higher risk of moisture. Therefore, in summer, goods shipped from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere (or the route must pass through the southern hemisphere) must be protected against moisture in the container. It is more necessary to adjust the amount of container desiccant according to the length of the voyage. So as to achieve the ultimate goal of protecting the safety of goods and packaging.
