Solar Panels: 10 Containers from China to Latvia
The client's first solar panel shipment arrived with 15% breakage. Cracked glass, bent frames, destroyed by rough handling at the Chinese port. They came to us to fix the problem. 10 containers, 2,500+ panels - every one of them a large glass sheet that cracks if you look at it wrong during loading.
What happened
Solar panels are large glass sheets that crack easily during loading, sea transit, and port handling. Standard container shipping treats them like any other cargo. They need specialized treatment. The previous supplier used cardboard separators between panels - insufficient for a 40-day ocean voyage where containers get stacked, shifted, and sometimes dropped 1-2 meters by port cranes.
What made it difficult
- 1Panels crack from forklift impacts during container loading - operators in a rush cause the most damage
- 2Sea swell causes panels to shift and collide if not properly braced inside the container
- 3Port crane operators sometimes drop containers 1-2 meters - standard packing does not survive this
- 4Previous supplier used cardboard separators between panel stacks - insufficient for ocean freight
- 510 containers with 2,500+ panels - inspecting every unit before and after transit is impractical without a system
How we handled it
We replaced cardboard with custom wooden cradles for every panel stack. Edge protectors were fitted on every panel. Anti-slip mats between layers prevented shifting during sea swell. Every container was inspected before loading - floor condition, wall integrity, door seals checked. Shock indicator stickers were placed on each container to detect rough handling during port operations and transit. Insurance was arranged with an agreed survey protocol - if any indicator was triggered on arrival, a surveyor would be on-site within hours. Result: 0% breakage across all 10 containers.
Result
Fragile solar panels from China? 10 containers, 0% breakage - we solved the packing problem. +371 22302054 / info@langino.lv