Machinery is dense, expensive, frequently irregular in shape, and unforgiving of poor securing. The governing principle is simple: the vessel or wagon will move, and your job is to ensure the machine moves with it rather than within it. Almost every machinery damage claim traces back to a failure of that principle.
Start with the centre of gravity. A machine whose mass is concentrated high or off-centre behaves very differently under roll than a uniform load, and the securing arrangement has to reflect that. The centre of gravity should be marked on the crate, and it should be known before the loading plan is drawn rather than discovered when the crate tips on a forklift.
Crating is not packaging in the ordinary sense — it is a structural element. A proper export crate transfers load through its frame to the base, provides defined lifting and forking points, and is built so that the machine is bolted to the base rather than resting on it. Skid-mounting heavy equipment and bolting through the frame is standard practice for anything substantial.
Wood requires attention to ISPM 15. Solid wood packaging moving internationally must be treated and marked, and the mark must be legible and correctly applied. This is one of the most common reasons a shipment is held at destination, and it is entirely avoidable — treated material is readily available and the marking requirement is unambiguous. Engineered materials such as plywood and OSB are outside the scope, which is one reason they are often preferred.
Lashing calculations should be done, not estimated. The forces a container or flat rack experiences at sea are documented, and the required restraint can be calculated from the cargo mass and the expected accelerations. Lashing that "looks strong" is not a method. Where cargo is on a flat rack or breakbulk, this is usually the carrier or a marine surveyor's requirement anyway.
For out-of-gauge machinery, decide early. A machine that exceeds container internal dimensions moves on a flat rack or open top, needs the overhang measured and declared accurately, and will be priced on the space it blocks rather than the space it fills. Discovering out-of-gauge status late is the single most expensive timing failure in project cargo, because it invalidates the booking, the rate and frequently the vessel.
Finally, moisture and preservation. Machined surfaces, hydraulic systems and electrical cabinets each need different protection. Grease or VCI on bare metal, hydraulic circuits either drained or properly sealed, and desiccant inside electrical enclosures rather than only in the crate. A machine that arrives structurally perfect and electrically corroded is still a claim.
