Ever heard of Pallet wide containers..?? No..?? Well now you have..
The container shipping industry is a dynamic and constantly evolving industry with many different types of containers being developed and customised to suit the various needs of the market/trade, some global, some regional and some local..
Previously I have written an
- article covering the sizes, dimensions and uses of the generally and more widely used container types
- article on the special containers used for OOG and Reefer cargoes and also an
- article on some unusual and different container size/types
In this article I will cover a regional container type that is used mostly within Europe..
In the European trades, a certain type of pallet size 1200×800×144 mm is used.. It is a four-way pallet made of wood that is nailed with 78 special nails in a prescribed pattern.. To accommodate the loading of these Euro pallets, a new container type called the Pallet Wide (PW) Container was created..
Externally and Internally these containers are slightly wider than the dimensions of a standard ISO container.. External width of a pallet wide container is around 2.462 m whereas a standard ISO container is 2.4 m.. A standard ISO container’s internal width is 2.348 m whereas the PW has an internal width of 2.438 m.. But with each palletwide container operator, the dimensions could be different..
This difference enables a European customer to load 30 Euro-pallets in a 40’ Pallet-Wide-Container in comparison to 25 in a 40’ standard container..
This method of stowing the pallets also reduces the risk of the cargo slipping (moving) during transport.. These containers are also heavy tested so there is no issues with payload capacity of these containers..
In comparison :
- A 20′ PW can load 15 Euro Pallets (4 more than a normal 20′)
- A 40′ PW can load 30 Euro Pallets (5 more than a normal 40′)
- A 45′ PW can load 34 Euro pallets (7 more than a normal 45′)
Since the corner castings on these PW’s are in the same location as an ISO container, these boxes can be easily handled on shore and on board using the same equipment as a normal dry container and stowed on board a container vessel (cellular and non-cellular) comfortably..
Some of the companies that operate these PW’s are
- CGT-SeaCell
- OPDR
Hi – I have to correct you on this – you state that “externally it is no different than a normal ISO standard container” This is not correct a palletwide container is wider than an ISO container and so cannot be accommodated in the slots designed for ISO container width contaienrs (8ft wide). As such all palletwide containers are technically non-ISO containers as they are non-ISO wide.
However – palletwide containers do have the same post and twist lock locations as ISO containers to allow them to be overstowed on ISO containers or to be secured on chassis and rail wagons designed for ISO containers. However, terminal chassis may not be able to transport palletwide containers as they do not fit inside the guide slots. Some ships on short sea trades are desinged with slightly wider cell guides to accommodate palletwides – otherwise they would have to be carried above the cell guides or possibly may be stowed in alternate slots.
They do add a lot of complexity to ship stowage and terminal operations.
Hi Jeff, thanks for that.. Have corrected..
Thanks a lot, sir!
Eco PACT is the parent company of Eco Aluminum Pallets, Eco Container Systems and Eco Tracking. Our companies manufacture solution driven sustainable products for the packaging, storage, shipping, distribution and manufacturing industries.
Eco Aluminum Pallets and Eco Container Systems are designed for strength, longevity, safety, product protection and substantial savings with remarkable ROI’s. We offer a limited 10-year warranty on our pallets and custom manufacture pallets and containers to meet your specific specifications. Our tracking solutions are truly unique and include state-of-the-art Bluetooth tracking.
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