It is almost impossible to imagine that until a few decades back, the concept of shipping cargo in containers didn’t even exist. Today, shipping container are one of the most important inventions for globalization to reach the level where it has.
It is funny to think today that once upon a time the idea of transporting goods in huge containers at a time from one place to another did not even cross anybody’s mind.
At times it makes one wonder, how can a simple empty box change the entire future of transportation of goods across the world and changed the future and working of the entire world economy.
For anyone who wants to learn about shipping container dimensions from scratch and is looking for a place where they can find the meaning and concept without a lot of jargons and in simpler terms, you have come to the right place.
Once you have finished reading this blog, we can assure you that you will have learnt all about shipping containers.
Before anyone had the idea of transportation through containers, all goods were manually loaded into boxes, crates and sacks that were then directly thrust upon huge vessels. This was very time consuming and was not at all a practical approach because it would take weeks and weeks to first load the cargo, then unload it. Thanks to the invention of the shipping container, now this tiresome task has been eased and is less time consuming.
The first ever container ship was a tanker from the time of World War 2. For centuries, transporting cargo was a very tedious task, as it involved manual labor and people carrying heavy loads on their backs from the traditional vessels in order to load and unload the vehicles.
Then came the man who revolutionized the idea of shipping of cargo forever. American entrepreneur Malcom McLean, even though not an ocean shipper, was the owner of a huge trucking company. He was frustrated at the really slow movement of unloading of cargo from trucks and being transferred to ships, and vice-versa. That was when he decided to come up with a better way of doing this task, which was much more efficient as well.
The world’s first container ship was a converted World War 2 tanker ‘Ideal X’ that departed from the port of Newark to Houston in 1956. Ever since the invention of what we now call shipping containers, the shipping costs for cargo now plummeted and it was less expensive to manufacture goods anywhere in the whole world because shipping was so inexpensive. Ever since then it has modernized networks, routes and connected the whole together. The shipping container has been the single biggest catalyst of globalization.
The process of shipping containers which can transfer any cargo to any place in the world has absolutely reformed the shipping and transport industry, allowing the transport of goods by rail, road and ship much more effectively and efficiently, as the containers can easily fit onto different forms of transport due to, all thanks to the technological advancements that came along so rapidly.
While we would all agree that shipping containers are a huge bane for international trade, as their invention has made transportation of goods from one part of the world to another so cost-effective and cheap. I would also like to point out that many a times, these containers are left unused, after a particular shipment has taken place, and melting them or destroying them is not at all a practical approach.
So as a solution to this problem, container architecture has since then come into existence.
This meant that those unused empty containers were refurbished into shipping container homes and even complete building were made out of these containers. For almost two decades now architects and interior designers have been trying to develop living spaces for people with empty containers. Some of these structures can be quite simple, with a single big container being converted into a house with doors and windows, to make it look like a house. Other times, more complex and intricate buildings were created by using multiple number of containers so that it could be given a more spacious and luxe look.
So, if you are feeling spontaneous, and you want to do something different and daring than living in a normal house in a suburb, this is the way to go about it. Container houses like RVs, small houses are the perfect solution for anyone who does not want to live in a traditional place.
Saying that are not just beds of roses for shipping container homes. They have some drawbacks as well. Here are some pros and cons for container houses.
PROS-:
Container houses are eco-friendly. These houses are made from already used containers which have no use and are not melted down which causes a lot of energy wastage. Neither are these prepared from scratch with bricks, cement and other construction material.
These are cost-effective. Since the containers have already been constructed to carry the cargo, there is no sorts of new construction that is done.
Reusing a safe shipping container that is of no use anymore is a very responsible example of building with recycled materials, and also encourages lesser usage of other building materials like wood and cement. Any individual who is open to alternative living spaces like container homes often incorporates many other eco-friendly elements that help protect the environment, such as solar panels, wind power, water recycling systems, and rainwater harvesting systems.
CONS-:
Shipment containers are basically large boxes of steel which means that they absorb heat and cold very quickly. This can become very dangerous and at the same time it means that you need special accommodations for temperature control inside the container.
These containers are designed for transporting cargo from one place to another. This means that they haven’t been constructed by keeping in mind that humans are going to be living in them. As a result, they pose a lot of health hazards for people inhibiting these containers as they are made of chemicals that are harmful for humans.
The process of transportation of cargo had been a huge problem few decades back. The goods were loaded and reloaded again and again for each different mode of transport. This was turning out to be an operational hassle. As a result, intermodal containers, or shipping containers as we now call them, came into existence.
Inter-modal containers, as the name suggests, refers to the usage of more than one means of transportation for cargo shipments from one place to another. Ever since the invention of the inter-modal containers, cargo transportation operations have benefitted tremendously.
An intermodal container provides fast-paced cargo shipping with lesser operational costs as unnecessary repackaging and offloading of the cargo is avoided.
Intermodal type of transportation is considered as a smarter way of shipping as the cargo as it is much more reliable and less time consuming. It has also proven to be cost- effective as all the extra time taken for loading cargo is saved as the goods are loaded onto the same shipment only once even if they are shipped by rail, road or sea.
Did you know that around 90% of the world's cargo is moved by ships? It’s no surprise that to accommodate such a vast amount of goods, there are many different types of shipping containers in circulation, each used for a different purpose.
Shipping containers are carrying units for the transportation of cargo from all over the world, to any location in any continent. They come is various sizes, they have multi-purposes and they eliminate your need to worry about your shipment to reach the desired place within the time allotted.
Dropping down the list of some container types-
Dry Storage/ Standard Containers
These are the most commonly used type of shipping container. They come in a wide variety of sizes like 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft, with an extended height of 40ft high cube, and 45ft high cube containers depending on the requirements of the clients. They are also known as standard containers and have a basic cuboidal structure with doors on one end. They are used majorly for the transportation of dry goods like boxes, or barrels. One drawback of these is that they do not provide temperature control, thus they are not suitable for transporting any cold or warm products.
Flat Rack Containers
These containers are similar to the structure of their standard counterparts. The only difference is that they have collapsible sides which can be folded to convert them into a flat rack container. This particular type is suitable for shipping oversized cargo like heavy machinery, vehicles and construction materials.
Tank Containers
All of the containers we’ve discussed so far are for dry goods. But what happens if you need to transport a liquid? For this, you need tank containers. Made out of anti-corrosive material, these containers can be used for chemicals, petroleum or other kinds of fluids.
Through this blog, we have tried to impart you with the basic knowledge you need about shipping containers and we are sure by now you have realized how important role they have played in boosting the entire world economy and in the sector of international trade as well.