We fight for the space for it, await its arrival eagerly, love the revenue it earns us, and apparently cannot live without it in this modern day and age.. It keeps us clothed, fed, entertained, fit, healthy, good looking and much more.. 🙂 You get the message..
I am talking about the Shipping Container, Freight Container, Box, TEU, FEU, or whatever else it is called..
The journey of the container that started on the 26th of April 1956 is continuing, stronger than ever before, becoming more modern, smart, strong, and state-of-the-art as it gets older..
Universally hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world and the one true architect of Globalisation, the ubiquitous CONTAINER has become an integral part of our life..
Happy 68th Birthday my Dear Container 🙂
The back story of the container
Malcom McLean an American trucking company owner/trucker turned inventor and Mechanical Engineer Keith Tantlinger are the two main people credited with this innovation called the container.. McLean for the idea and concept and Tantlinger for the details and design..
The first lot of 58 containers was loaded on board the SS Ideal X, a converted World War II oil tanker, on 26th April 1956..
Thus began the journey of the shipping container which has shaped the modern world and has influenced all spheres of our life..
Container Growth
For the past 68 years, the shipping container has, through the creation of ISO standards, enabled mass production, transportation, and usage of standardized containers.. This has enabled the ports, container terminals, and handling equipment to be standardized across the globe, the evolution of which has resulted in the current mega-ships capable of carrying more than 24,000 TEUs on a single ship..
The growth in container volumes has also been exceptional.. Between 2008 and 2024, the container fleet of just the Top 10 container lines in the world grew 144% with MSC ruling with a 305% increase in their TEU capacity..
The global Container port traffic for this period grew 63% justifying this increase in container orders..
Since the last time I wished a happy 65th birthday to the container in 2021, there have been 5 largest container ships in the world moving from a capacity of 23.964 TEUs in 2020 (HMM Algeciras) to 24,346 TEUs in 2023 (MSC Irina)..
Not just in volume, but in terms of technology as well, container shipping lines are fervently pursuing their vision of converting their container fleet into Smart Container fleet to enhance visibility..
Very interesting!
I will use this for a presentation for my Nautical school!
Thank you