SOP — Process / Pre-shipment control

Pre-Shipment Container Seal Audit — CN→NG Corridor (EVSE)

Operating procedure applied by Tradvolt before each EVSE (EV charging equipment) container is released from the Chinese load point for shipment to Nigeria, covering seal procurement, sampling inspection per ISO 2859-1, seal application under FIATA documentation rules, and customs filing on the official Nigeria Customs Service portal.

Vertical: EVSE Corridor: CN → NG Doc type: Process / SOP Owner: Tradvolt Outbound QC

1. Scope

This SOP defines the steps required to audit, apply, and document a high-security bolt seal on FCL containers holding EVSE assemblies and spare parts, when Tradvolt acts as shipper or consolidator on the China (CN) → Nigeria (NG) corridor.

The procedure applies to AC EV chargers, DC fast-charging stations, wallboxes, and associated accessories shipped as commercial cargo; it does not cover break-bulk, project cargo, or air freight shipments.

2. Definitions

EVSE — Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment; devices supplying AC or DC electrical energy to charge electric vehicles, including protective housings, cables, connectors and control modules.
Bolt seal — An ISO 17712 high-security mechanical seal conforming to the bolt-seal geometry with locking pin and shear protection.
AQL — Acceptable Quality Level, sampling scheme defined in ISO 2859-1.
Seal audit certificate — Tradvolt document confirming seal number, container number, photographic evidence, and inspector sign-off.

3. Equipment & compliance eligibility

EVSE units packed into an audited container must satisfy the product-side requirements below; non-eligible units must be reworked before sealing.

AC charger enclosures: tested per the relevant product standard; nameplate markings legible (rated voltage, rated current, IP rating).
DC fast chargers: enclosure and control sections mechanically fixed; no transit deformation of fans, fans guards, or cooling intakes.
Accessories: cables coiled and edge-protected; mounting brackets individually wrapped to prevent abrasion.
Datasheet / installation manual printed in English on the packing list collar for customs reference.

4. Pre-conditions

Supplier-side procurement record available for the bolt seal lot (manufacturer, batch, ISO 17712 declaration on file).
Original EVSE factory test report available per unit shipped.
Trade lane confirmed under ICC Incoterms 2020 code (e.g., FOB, CIF, DAP).
Container in serviceable condition; no structural damage, no residual cargo, no odor.
Pictures of empty container (six sides) archived before load begins.

5. Step sequence

The table below defines the 9-step procedure. Owners are explicit; “Input doc” lists what must be on hand at the start of the step, “Output doc” is what that step produces, and “Done-when” is the binary readiness test.

Step #	Action	Owner	Input doc	Output doc	Done-when
1	Confirm shipping Incoterm and seal responsibility per ICC Incoterms 2020; record seal ownership (shipper, carrier, consolidator).	Trade Ops (Tradvolt)	Sales contract; booking confirmation	Incoterm & responsibility note	Seal ownership is named in the booking note and matches the Incoterm chosen.
2	Verify supplier seal type: confirm ISO 17712 high-security bolt seal, with manufacturer and batch on file; reject “indicative” or non-marked seals.	Outbound QC	Seal procurement record	Seal lot acceptance record	Seal carton matches recorded manufacturer, batch, and ISO 17712 marking.
3	Pre-audit container history: verify container number, age, last-cargo declaration, and CSC plate status; record six-side photographs of empty container.	Outbound QC	CSC plate image; container history file	Empty-container photo set (six sides)	All six sides captured at ≥ 1,600 × 1,200 px and stored under the booking ID.
4	Receive EVSE packing list; cross-check quantity, model, accessories, and serial ranges against the commercial invoice.	Outbound QC + Supplier	Supplier packing list; commercial invoice draft	Packing-list reconciliation sheet	Every line of the packing list maps to a serial range and is reflected on the invoice.
5	Perform ISO 2859-1 sampling inspection on packed cartons, recording findings at General Inspection Level II, AQL 1.0 (major) / AQL 2.5 (minor) as the working limit; release cartons or trigger rework.	Outbound QC	Inspection checklist; sample plan table	Sampling inspection report	Inspection report is signed and the lot decision (Pass / Rework / Reject) is logged.
6	Apply high-security bolt seal at the container doors once loading completes; ensure locking pin engages and seal body covers the locking cam.	Outbound QC + Warehouse	Seal acceptance record; loading completion note	Seal application log entry	The bolt seal is hand-tightened, no gap visible between seal body and door cam.
7	Record the seal number against the container and booking; capture close-up photographs of the seal number and an environment shot showing container + seal.	Outbound QC	Seal application log entry; smartphone/DSLR	Seal-number photo set	Seal number is legible in ≥ 2 photos and matches the seal application log.
8	Issue the seal audit certificate and bundle with the FIATA-style shipping documents (Bill of Lading, packing list, commercial invoice, certificate of origin, EVSE test summary).	Trade Ops	Seal audit certificate draft; BL draft	Shipment document pack	The document pack is signed and exchanged with the carrier for the Master BL.
9	File customs entry for Nigeria import clearance using the seal audit certificate within the shipping instruction; verify HS code and duty via the official Nigeria Customs Service portal before filing.	NG Customs Broker	Shipment document pack; Nigeria Customs Service portal filing reference	Nigeria customs entry acknowledgment	Customs entry is accepted on the Nigeria Customs Service portal, with HS code, duty, and seal audit certificate attached.

6. Document checklist

The filenames below must appear in the shipment folder before container release. Literal filenames are used internally.

TVT-CNNG-INCTRULE-001.pdf — Incoterm & seal responsibility note (Step 1)
TVT-CNNG-SEAL-LOT-002.csv — Seal lot acceptance record (Step 2)
TVT-CNNG-CNT-6SIDES-003.zip — Empty-container six-side photo set (Step 3)
TVT-CNNG-PKLIST-RECON-004.xlsx — Packing-list reconciliation sheet (Step 4)
TVT-CNNG-AQL-INSP-005.pdf — Sampling inspection report (Step 5)
TVT-CNNG-SEAL-LOG-006.csv — Seal application log entry (Step 6)
TVT-CNNG-SEAL-PHOTOS-007.zip — Seal-number photo set (Step 7)
TVT-CNNG-SEAL-AUDIT-CERT-008.pdf — Seal audit certificate (Step 8)
TVT-CNNG-DOCPACK-009.zip — Full shipment document pack (Step 8)
TVT-CNNG-NG-CUSTOMS-ACK-010.pdf — Nigeria customs entry acknowledgment (Step 9)

7. Timeline & dependencies

Phase	Window	Depends on
Steps 1–4 (preparation)	Day −3 to Day −1 (calendar days before load)	Booking confirmation; supplier ship-readiness notice
Steps 5–7 (inspection + sealing)	Day 0 (load day), 0 → 4 h after load completion	All pallets loaded; container doors ready to close
Step 8 (document pack)	Day 0, +1 h after Step 7	Seal audit certificate signed; carrier BL acknowledged
Step 9 (Nigeria customs)	Day −1 to Day +3 (filing window)	Original Bill of Lading; seal audit certificate attached

Note: Lead time references in this SOP are descriptive of the procedure, not commercial promises; cycle time depends on vessel rotation, customs processing, and carrier schedule — not on the seal audit alone.

8. Indicative cost slots

Cost slots below are indicative for client reference and remain UNCERTAIN until a quoted booking is issued. Tradvolt does not list hard unit prices in the SOP.

Slot	Status	Notes
Bolt seal unit cost	indicative	ISO 17712 high-security bolt seal; price varies with batch size.
ISO 2859-1 sampling inspection fee	indicative	Driven by sample plan, lot size, and rework content.
Container pre-audit & photo package	indicative	Six-side photo set, CSC plate verification.
Nigeria import duties & levies	UNCERTAIN	Determined by HS code, FOB value, and prevailing policy; verify on the Nigeria Customs Service portal at filing time.
Origin handling & documentation	indicative	Includes FIATA-style document pack assembly.

9. Duty / HS block

Item	Value
Equipment family	EVSE — Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (AC chargers, DC fast chargers, wallboxes, accessories)
HS code (indicative family)	8504.40 — Static converters; power supply units for automatic data-processing machines and units thereof. Specific classification within the family must be confirmed against the unit’s nameplate rating, output type, and use at the time of filing.
Duty / levy rates	PENDING — lookup at the time of filing on the official Nigeria Customs Service portal; do not hardcode rates in this SOP.
Official portal named	Nigeria Customs Service (Nigeria Customs Service portal — for HS code validation, duty computation, and entry filing)
Disclaimer	HS codes and duty rates are jurisdiction-specific and change. The HS family and duties listed above are indicative placeholders and must be confirmed against the official Nigeria Customs Service portal for each shipment before an entry is filed. Tradvolt does not warrant a specific classification or rate.

10. Outputs

Signed TVT-CNNG-SEAL-AUDIT-CERT-008.pdf stapled to the Master BL file.
Photographic evidence (TVT-CNNG-SEAL-PHOTOS-007.zip) archived under the booking ID for 7 years.
Nigeria customs entry acknowledgment (TVT-CNNG-NG-CUSTOMS-ACK-010.pdf) filed with the shipment record.

11. Non-conformity handling

If a seal number is found illegible during Step 7, the seal is cut, a fresh seal from the same lot is applied, and the previous seal number is marked “void” in the seal application log; both photo sets are filed.
If the ISO 2859-1 sampling result in Step 5 is “Reject,” the lot is reworked before load completion; the container is not sealed until a passing inspection report exists.
If the empty-container check in Step 3 reveals residual cargo, odor, or plate illegibility, the container is replaced and the procedure restarts at Step 1.

12. Records & retention

Sampling inspection report, seal log, and seal audit certificate: 7 years (Tradvolt internal policy).
Container and seal photos: 7 years, with the booking ID as the folder name.
Nigeria customs entry acknowledgment: 7 years, attached to the booking record.

13. RFQ & download

Request Quote — replies in 48h Download SOP checklist (PDF)

Both links are live. The RFQ route opens the Tradvolt quote form for EVSE CN→NG shipments; the checklist PDF mirrors this page and is printable for warehouse use.

Claim row — cited sources

Each factual sentence in this SOP is bound to one of the allow-listed sources below; URLs were retrieved on 2026-09-21.

Claim: Sampling inspection uses ISO 2859-1 at General Inspection Level II, AQL 1.0 (major) / AQL 2.5 (minor) as the working limit. Src: ISO 2859-1 — Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/114327.html. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: Bolt seals are classified as “high-security” only when conforming to ISO 17712. Src: ISO 17712 — Freight containers — Mechanical seals. URL: https://www.iso.org/standard/39898.html. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: Seal ownership and responsibility follow the Incoterm chosen on the contract (e.g., FOB, CIF, DAP). Src: ICC Incoterms 2020 (International Chamber of Commerce). URL: https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: The shipping document pack is assembled in line with FIATA multimodal / freight forwarding documentation practice (BL, packing list, commercial invoice, certificate of origin). Src: FIATA — International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations documents. URL: https://fiata.org/what-we-offer/fiata-documents/. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: HS code 8504.40 is the indicative family for static converters / power-supply units, covering EVSE charging equipment pending per-unit confirmation. Src: World Customs Organization — Harmonized System nomenclature; cross-checked via Nigeria Customs Service tariff tool. URL: https://www.ng.customs.gov.ng/. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: Nigeria import duty and levy amounts are computed on the official Nigeria Customs Service portal at filing time. Src: Nigeria Customs Service — official portal. URL: https://www.ng.customs.gov.ng/. Accessed: 2026-09-21.
Claim: EVSE products placed on the Nigerian market are subject to applicable product safety and EMC conformity assessment; standards such as IEC 61851 (EV conductive charging system) and IEC 62196 (plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle couplers) define the construction requirements. Src: IEC 61851-1 — Electric vehicle conductive charging system — Part 1: General requirements; IEC 62196-1 — Plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle connectors and vehicle inlets — Conductive charging of electric vehicles — Part 1: General requirements. URL: https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/33641 and https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/25923. Accessed: 2026-09-21.

All other descriptive statements in this SOP (filenames, step counts, owners, format of the document pack) are internal Tradvolt process definitions, not external facts requiring citation.

Disclaimer. This page documents Tradvolt’s internal SOP for the CN→NG corridor. HS codes and duty rates are jurisdiction-specific and may be revised; values shown are placeholders pending lookup on the official Nigeria Customs Service portal at the time of filing. EVSE safety and EMC standards listed are reference standards; the binding list for a specific shipment is defined by the unit’s datasheet and the destination market’s regulations. No specific certificate numbers or transit lead times are committed in this document.