Shipping preparation

Transporting hazardous materials by air, water and road requires a great deal of knowledge and expertise. You’ll find them at Special Cargo Services. At our Schiphol, Europoort and IJmuiden branches, our Dangerous Goods experts are ready to get your cargo “ready to ship. That is, ready for (subsequent) transport, according to the applicable regulations. Whether it’s packaging, labeling or documentation, everything must be done to perfection and one hundred percent safe.

Your cargo safely and completely on transport

There are strict international regulations for the transport of hazardous materials: IATA for air transport, ADR for road transport and IMDG for maritime transport. All DG experts at Special Cargo Services are trained to handle shipments in full compliance with these regulations. All hazard classes pass by in the process: from radioactive substances for medical applications to lithium batteries for the automotive industry to fragrances and flavorings for the food industry. In addition, Special Cargo Services is ISO 9001:2015-certified and we have AEO status, which is reviewed annually by Customs.

Checking shipment

How does shipping preparation work? A driver reports to our counter. Our people unload the cargo and put it in one of our warehouses. Immediately one of our specialists checks the shipment: is the transport document correct, is the packaging material correct and intact, is the labeling of the inner and outer packaging correct, is segregation (separation of certain hazardous substances) correctly applied? Sometimes the shipment must also be prepared for another modality, such as road to air or sea to road.

Repackaging or recasting

If the packaging is not compliant, our specialists will replace it. In the case of packaged hazardous materials, this is called “repackaging. In the case of liquid hazardous materials, it involves “pouring over. The DG expert does this in a specially equipped room and wears the necessary personal protective equipment.

Decanting of liquid hazardous materials is done by the DG expert in a specially equipped room with the necessary personal protective equipment

UN packaging

Special Cargo Services has plenty of options in packaging. From a small box for a content of up to 3.5 kg to huge crates, and from jerry cans to ibc’s. If required by legislation, these packaging materials are “UN-approved”: they comply with the international regulations of the United Nations. Then they have passed a drop test, are extremely sturdy and matched to the load inside.

Labeling

An accident can happen in the blink of an eye. In the event of an incident, it is important that emergency services can immediately see what substances are in the shipment. Correct labeling of cargo is therefore crucial. For this, the substances in the shipment must be correctly classified, or classified. This is done according to the hazard class and other characteristics, such as flammability or toxicity. It really is a precision job, which our DG specialists do not turn their hand to. And again, should the wrong labels be applied to the shipment, we have all labels available for replacement.

Documentation

A transport of hazardous materials must always have the proper (transport) documents. They may vary by shipment and by modality. For example, ADR requires at a minimum a transport document, IATA requires a Shipper’s Declaration and IMDG requires a Dangerous Goods Declaration, all in a formally established format. Special Cargo has all the necessary documents available.

E-recognition

To perform all of these activities for air transportation, a company needs an accreditation from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. If you don’t have one, no problem: Special Cargo can take this work off your hands. We have a so-called E-recognition. This means that we can assume the legal liability of the consignor and may perform all actions to prepare a shipment for transportation by air.

On-site shipping preparation

We prepare dangerous cargo for shipment at our Schiphol, IJmuiden and Europoort sites. By arrangement, we can also do this at your location. We can also offer the shipment to the agent or airline. So we ensure safe transportation of all your dangerous goods anytime, anywhere.

Also for training

Preparing hazardous materials for shipment requires the necessary knowledge and training. For that, too, you can turn to Special Cargo. Our training branch Special Cargo College provides all kinds of courses and training on the transportation of hazardous materials by air, road and sea. This way, we make sure your employees meet all training requirements and are up to date on rules and procedures. Everything familiar in one hand: so easy and efficient!