How to ship power stations by sea

Are there any difference between shipping portable power stations by sea and other modes of transportation? Now, I will share with you some knowledge I have about shipping power stations.

The power Stations all over the world

With the increasing popularity of new energy worldwide, solar generators with built-in energy storage batteries are becoming more and more popular. In economically developed regions such as Western Europe, North America, Japan, and South Korea, with the improvement of people's living standards, portable power stations are often used as emergency power sources for families and friends during picnics, camping, and outings; In economically underdeveloped countries and regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, portable solar power stations are often used as essential appliances for off grid electricity consumption. This is because in those countries, there is a severe shortage of electricity and power outages often occur. As portable solar power stations have both power generation and storage functions, they are particularly suitable for emergency household electricity needs.

Shippings of the power stations

With the increasing demand in the portable solar power station market, the transportation of products related to them is also on the rise. Especially when portable solar power generators are produced in one country and then transported by buyers to another country for sale, they need to rely on land transportation (railway, road) or sea transportation (container) for transportation. There are also a few buyers who transport portable solar power stations by air transportation, which can save a lot of time but is expensive.

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The Certifications for shipping power stations by sea

The solar power station is equipped with energy storage batteries, which have both DC output (USB output, Type-C output, DC output, etc.) and AC output. So, portable solar power stations have both the product attributes of energy storage batteries and household appliances. Therefore, when transporting solar generators, it is necessary to have certification and qualifications that meet the requirements for battery transportation, as well as certification and qualifications that meet the requirements for electrical transportation. Energy storage batteries are generally divided into two types: lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries. According to the "Recommendations on the Transport of DANGEROUS GOODS" Model Regulations (22Re Rev. edition) special provisions 238, if the energy storage battery of a solar power station is

the lithium battery, it requires the lithium battery test report, MSDS report (Material Safety Date Sheet Report), UN38.3 Test Report, and By Sea Identification and Classification Report for Transport of Goods (or Identification and Classification Report for Air Transport of Goods); If the energy storage battery of the solar power station is lead-acid battery, it requires the lead-acid battery test report, MSDS report (Material Safety Date Sheet Report), and By Sea Identification and Classification Report for Transport of Goods for the lead-acid battery, but not for Air Transport of Goods because lead-acid batteries are prohibited from being transported by air.

Electrical certifications for power stations

Due to different requirements for current, voltage, and frequency of electrical appliances in different countries, the parameter standards for the same appliance may also vary. For example, the standard voltage in the United States and Japan is 110 volts and the frequency requirement is 60Hz, while the voltage requirement in the European Union is 220 volts and the frequency requirement is 50Hz. According to the regulations of the International Electrotechnical Organization (IEC), electrical appliances sold in different countries must meet certain quality standards, and most countries have different quality requirements for electrical appliances. For example, electrical appliances sold to the European Union generally require CE certification requirements; Electrical appliances sold in the UK require

TUV certification; Electrical appliances sold in North America require UL or CSA certification; Electrical appliances sold in Japan require PSE certification; Electrical appliances sold in Korea require KC certification; Electrical appliances sold in Switzerland require SEV certification; Electrical appliances sold in Australia require SAA certification; Electrical appliances sold in Brazil require BSI certification; Electrical appliances sold in China need to obtain CCC certification... In addition to the certification requirements of different countries mentioned above, many countries and regions have certain environmental requirements for the sale of electrical appliances. For example, many countries require electrical appliances to comply with mandatory environmental standards such as Reach, RoHS, and FCC.

So, in principle, the portable power station needs to obtain the certification described above when transported from one country to another, whether by land, sea, or air.

Readied documents before packing portable power stations by sea

1. It is necessary to provide a detailed information list of all power stations (product information, product name, battery type of the product, packing size of the product, net and gross weight of the product, total quantity, value of the goods, total volume of the product, etc.) to the freight forwarding company. If transported on pallets, the total volume and weight of the cargo pallets also need to be calculated. The freight forwarding company will book containers with the shipping company according to the specifications and volume of the power stations;
2. After the shipping company confirms the cargo space, it will send the booking confirmation service agreement to the freight forwarding company. The agreement includes specific route name, booking number, voyage, cargo space information (including container number,

volume, approved load, loading port, unloading port, etc.), cut-off time, release time, booking company information, and address for empty container collection;
3. The shipping company applies for export tax rebate subsidies (or conducts financial accounting verification) based on the product category, using the Shipping Order (SO) and subsequent supplementary materials for customs clearance;

Steps for shipping portable power stations by sea

1. After the freight forwarding company issues the container loading notice, the export company prepares the portable power station for loading in advance based on the empty container information (such as container number, seal, weight of empty container, type of empty container, packing time, etc.), and prepares to load the portable power station into the container;

2. Strictly load the goods according to the packing information. In order to fully utilize the space of the container and save shipping costs, it is best to hire professional container loading personnel for loading;

3. During the entire packing process, it is important to remember to take photos of the empty cargo, container number, loading, completion of loading, outer box of each model, container sealing, and license plate number of the transport vehicle to prepare for customs clearance;

4. After the packing is completed, promptly remind the freight forwarding company that the container has been loaded and pay attention to receiving the goods;

5. After receiving the portable solar power stations, the freight forwarding company prepares a draft customs declaration document and applies for a release receipt from the shipping company and customs based on the container loading information reported in the warehouse application;

6. After the customs confirms the release of the power stations, they will send the container release certificate and customs declaration form to the freight forwarding company. The freight forwarding company will apply for export tax declaration and financial verification based on the customs declaration form and all the customs declaration materials prepared previously;

7. After receiving the container release note, the shipping company will send the arrival and pickup information of the goods to the freight forwarding company;

8. After receiving the arrival and delivery documents from the freight forwarding company, the export company shall notify the receiving company of the specific delivery information. After the goods arrive at the target port and the consignee receives them, the sea freight shipping steps for the portable solar power stations are all completed.

Container loading for portable power stations