Devanning

What it means

The words come in pairs. Loading a container is stuffing; unloading it is devanning, stripping or destuffing. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey describes a container freight station as a dock where cargo is "loaded/stuffed or unloaded/stripped from containers."^[1] The international CTU Code, a non-mandatory code of practice from the IMO, ILO and UNECE, calls the same step unpacking and gives guidance for those who receive and unpack containers.^[3]

Container devanning is usually the first thing that happens when an import container reaches a warehouse. A palletized container is devanned with a forklift or pallet jack; a floor-loaded container is unloaded carton by carton, by hand or onto a conveyor, and often stacked onto pallets on the dock. Either way, the devan is where the receiver first sees the cargo, so it is also where shortages and damage are found and recorded.

Devanning vs. stripping vs. destuffing

• Devanning, stripping, destuffing, unstuffing. Different names for the same physical job: taking the cargo out of the container. Port documents in New York and New Jersey say "stripped"; the CTU Code says "unpacking."^{[1] [4]}
• Deconsolidation. Broader than devanning. At a container freight station, a shared LCL container is unloaded and the cargo is separated for collection by each consignee.^[5]
• [Transloading](term:transloading). Devanning plus reloading: the cargo comes out of the ocean container and goes straight into a domestic trailer.
• Stuffing. The reverse: loading a container for export.^[1]

Before the doors open

The CTU Code's chapter on receiving and unpacking containers sets out the checks a receiver should make first:^[4]

• Outside condition. Check that the container is not significantly distorted, cracked or bent. Document any damage and notify the container operator.
• Seal. Where a seal number is on the transport documents, check it. A different number, a damaged seal or a missing seal can mean the container was opened in transit, and the operator should be contacted. See container seal.
• Atmosphere. Cargo such as shoes, textiles and furniture can give off harmful fumes after long voyages, so the container should be ventilated before anyone enters, preferably by forced ventilation. Fumigation marks can be lost in transit; tape on door gaskets or vents may signal fumigant.
• Falling cargo. Cargo can fall out when the doors open. A safety strap around the inner locking rods limits how far the first door swings.

Dock safety during the devan

When forklifts drive into a trailer or container on a chassis, OSHA's powered industrial truck standard applies:^[2]

• The highway truck's brakes must be set and wheel chocks placed under the rear wheels before it is boarded.
• Fixed jacks may be needed to keep a semitrailer from upending when it is not coupled to a tractor.
• The floor must be checked for breaks and weakness before a forklift drives onto it.
• Dockboards or bridge plates must be properly secured before they are driven over.

Why it matters

The devan is the first time anyone on the receiving side sees the cargo. Whatever is not counted, photographed and noted while the container is open is hard to claim later, and the empty container usually has to go back to the terminal before detention charges build.

During and after unloading

Lashings, blocking and other securing material should be removed so that cargo does not move when released, and inflatable dunnage bags deflated through their valves. Damage found while unloading should be documented and reported to the carrier or container operator and the shipper, as appropriate.^[4] In practice that means photos and a count against the packing list, with any overages, shortages or damage recorded before the paperwork is signed.

Unless agreed otherwise, the consignee is responsible for returning the empty container clean and free of cargo residues, plants and visible pests. Wooden bracing without the IPPC mark should be disposed of under plant protection rules.^[4] See ISPM 15.

Example

Illustrative only: a floor-loaded 40-ft container of cartons is backed into a dock door and the trailer's wheels are chocked. The receiver photographs the seal and checks its number against the bill of lading, opens the doors with a safety strap on, lets the box air out, and photographs the load face. The cartons are stacked onto pallets by item number, counted against the packing list and wrapped. Two crushed cartons are photographed and noted, and the empty container is swept out before the trucker returns it.

Container destuffing services

Importers without their own dock pay a warehouse or 3PL to devan. When comparing providers, confirm which container sizes they take, whether they handle floor-loaded as well as palletized boxes, whether they repalletize and label, what count and photo record they send, and where the freight goes next (storage, cross-dock or a reload). RapidShips devans palletized and floor-loaded 20-, 40- and 45-ft containers at its East Brunswick, NJ dock, about 30 road miles from the Port Newark–Elizabeth terminals; the container unloading page covers the process. It does not handle hazmat or refrigerated freight, and the drayage carrier brings the container in.

Frequently asked questions