- Shipment and equipment
- Record order and booking references, container number, equipment type and loading location. Link photographs to the actual unit being loaded rather than a reference container. Keep dates and recorder identity with the files so images from another order cannot accidentally enter the shipment record.
- Before loading
- Define the visible surfaces and identity marks to record safely before cargo enters. Capture the condition actually observable and any exception sent to the responsible team. A photograph of a clean doorway does not establish that every internal area was inspected or that the equipment is suitable for the cargo.
- Loading stages
- Index agreed stages against carton or pallet groups, order lines and the loading plan. Record which areas become concealed as loading proceeds. Avoid describing a stage photograph as an exact quantity count unless the counting record and visible scope support that claim.
- Final arrangement
- Connect the final visible cargo arrangement and any recorded securing features with the approved plan reference. Hapag-Lloyd discusses loading and securing responsibilities in its packing brochure. The images can document visible implementation, but a remote reviewer cannot approve hidden load distribution or securing strength from appearance alone.
- Closure and handover
- Record the container identity and applicable seal reference at closure with the responsible person's handover record. State whether a reference is readable in the image or supplied separately. A seal image demonstrates the observed reference at that event; it does not independently prove the entire journey remained unchanged.