The claim is decided in the first hour
A container of ceramics arrives, the doors open, and the first thing that happens is usually the thing that destroys the evidence. Somebody climbs in, moves a carton to see what is behind it, finds a break, and starts a conversation. By the time the conversation reaches the supplier, the container no longer shows what it looked like when it was opened.
Damage claims are not won by being right about the goods. They are won by being able to show what condition the cargo was in at each point where responsibility changed hands. That record either exists within the first hour or it does not exist at all, because everything that happens afterwards — unloading, sorting, storing, selling — removes the ability to reconstruct it.
What follows is a sequence, not a checklist in the loose sense. The order is the method. Photographs taken out of order describe a situation without being able to prove how it arose.
Before the doors open
Start with the container itself, while it is still on the vehicle or on the ground, closed. Four things are recorded before anything is opened: the container number, the seal number as it appears, the condition of the seal, and the condition of the container’s exterior — dents, repairs, rust, holes, or a door that does not sit flush.
Then photograph the doors closed and the seal in place, close enough that the characters are legible. A wide shot of a container in a yard is not evidence of anything. A legible seal number against a legible container number is.
If the seal is broken, missing, or does not match the number on the bill of lading, stop. Do not open the container alone, do not sign for it without a note of the discrepancy, and do not let the driver leave before the discrepancy is written on the delivery document. A seal discrepancy is the single most important fact in a cargo claim, and it is also the easiest to lose in the first five minutes.
The photograph sequence
Once the doors are open, the camera works outward to inward, and the frames are taken in an order that maps the load.
- The open doors, with the load visible and undisturbed.
- The face of the load: how high it is stacked, whether it leans, whether the bracing is intact.
- Any gap between the cargo and the container wall, roof or doors — a gap is where movement happened.
- Crushed, torn, wet or deformed cartons, in place, with enough of the surrounding load visible to locate them.
- The floor of the container along the length of the load, which shows whether anything shifted in transit.
Each frame should contain something that fixes its position: a carton edge, a bracing member, a container rib. Photographs of damage without context are the most common form of evidence that a surveyor cannot use.
Reading the load before touching it
A stow tells you what happened to it. Ceramic is heavy, so a shift leaves marks: cartons displaced toward one end, a stack that has slumped into the gap at the doors, strapping that has been pulled loose, or a pallet that has tilted because the base gave way.
Compression damage reads differently. The cartons at the bottom of a stack carry the load above them, and when that load exceeds what the carton was built for, the damage appears as crushed corners, a collapsed flute, or a carton that has lost height. The ceramic inside may be broken without the carton showing anything more than a dented corner, which is why the height of the stack and the condition of the lowest layer are recorded before anything is lifted off.
This is also the moment to note whether the container was loaded as described. A floor-loaded consignment that was supposed to travel palletised, or a pallet that was supposed to be single-stacked and is not, is a fact about the shipment rather than about the goods, and it belongs in the record while the load is still standing.
Unpacking by layer
Unload in the reverse order of loading, one layer at a time, and photograph each layer as it is exposed. This is slower than emptying the container, and it is the only way to establish where in the stack the damage begins.
The pattern matters. Damage confined to the bottom layer of a stack points at compression. Damage spread through a middle layer points at an impact to that part of the load. Damage on the door end of the container points at movement in transit. Random damage across the load, including cartons that were never near a wall, points at something that happened before loading — which is a different conversation with a different party.
Keep the damaged cartons. Keep the packaging of the damaged units, intact where possible. The carton is the physical evidence of the protection that was specified, and a flattened carton in a skip cannot be examined.
Who is present, and what they sign
The receiving site’s own staff should be present, and for a first shipment or a high-value one, a third party who is not employed by either the buyer or the supplier. A surveyor appointed by the insurer is the strongest version, arranged before arrival rather than after a problem is found.
What gets signed is the delivery document. Note the seal number, the container number, the condition of the container, the number of cartons received against the number on the packing list, and any visible damage — on the document, at the time, in the presence of the driver. A clean signature followed by a claim is a claim with an argument attached to it.
The receiver’s note does not have to be a legal document. A short note naming the carton, the corner and the sound of the contents is worth more than a careful paragraph written afterwards.
What not to do
Most of the damage to a claim happens after the damage to the goods. Four habits account for nearly all of it.
- Do not unload before photographing the load as found. Once a carton is moved, the stow cannot be reconstructed.
- Do not discard packaging, pallets or strapping before the surveyor has seen them.
- Do not clean up broken ceramic before photographing the break in place. A pile of shards in a bin is a fact without a location.
- Do not sign a clean receipt to get the driver moving. The signature is the moment the carrier’s responsibility ends on paper.
Turning the record into a file
Before the site is tidied and the paperwork filed, the photographs, the delivery note, the seal record and a short written summary should be assembled into one file and sent to the supplier and the insurer. Not a claim yet — a record, dated and complete, while everyone’s memory is still fresh.
The written summary should answer four questions in plain language: what was expected, what was found, where in the load it was found, and what has been retained as evidence. Everything else is commentary.
Whether a claim is payable, and within what period it must be notified, is decided by the contract and the policy rather than by this article. The point of the first hour is not to establish liability. It is to make sure that when liability is discussed, there is something to discuss it with.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the order of photographs matter?
Because each frame gives the next one its context. A photograph of a break proves a break; it does not show where in the load it was found or what condition surrounded it. Sequence is what turns images into a reconstruction of the arrival.
What should I do if the seal number does not match?
Record the discrepancy before opening, photograph the seal as found, note it on the delivery document, and involve the carrier or their agent. Do not open and unload alone. A mismatched seal is the most significant fact available in a cargo claim and the easiest one to lose.
Should I unload the container myself?
Unload by layer, slowly, photographing each layer as it is exposed. Speed is the enemy of evidence. If labour is limited, unload part of the container on the first day and finish later rather than emptying it in one uncontrolled pass.
Do I need a surveyor present?
For a first shipment, a high-value load or any shipment where damage is already suspected, yes. A surveyor appointed by the insurer carries more weight than any party with an interest in the outcome. Arrange attendance before the container arrives, not after a break is found.
How long do I have to notify a claim?
The period is set by the contract and by the insurance policy, and it differs between them. Check both before the shipment rather than after. The practical advice is to notify immediately and completely, so that the deadline question never becomes the deciding one.
What if only one carton is damaged?
Record it the same way. A single carton is still evidence of how the load was handled, and its position in the stack is the most useful fact in the file. Photograph it in place before it is removed, and keep the carton itself.