Oftentimes, when people think about methods to protect shipments, the images of sturdy boxes, ‘fragile’ stickers, bubble wraps cushioning and high durable tapes come to mind. However, one silent enemy that shipment operators tend to forget about is moisture. In fact, it is estimated that 10 per cent of the world’s consignments each year (or approximately around 17 million containers) are destroyed by moisture and fungus, or more specifically, a phenomenon known in the shipping industry as ‘container rain’.

Container rain is generated by temperature fluctuation, which occurs as ships transit through different climate zones. As it journeys from one part of the world to another, the difference in temperature tends to cause the moisture in the air to condense on the colder areas of the container. Once the temperature rises, the cold moisture which had condensed on the container ceilings expands to form water, which then drips down as container rain.

When happens repeatedly after a long course of travel, this can lead to corrosion, mould, powder caking and damaged packaging. Subsequently, this means shipping companies will have to deal with lost revenue, replacement orders, product disposals, increased insurance premiums, and a tarnished brand. Nonetheless, there is a solution to this predicament.

One of the most effective ways to minimise the moisture content in the air, thus preventing container rain is by using BirchSorb Cargo hyperdesiccant.