Freight Container

There are several reasons that cargo inside a container could damaged. It could be due to improper packing of cargo inside a container, incorrect container used for the cargo carried, but one of the main reasons for cargo damage inside a container is the condition of the container itself.

• Wet damage due water ingress (rain, seawater etc) into the container ;
• Wet damage due to condensation inside the container when an incorrect type of container is used like using a normal container instead of a ventilated container ;
• Contamination due to adjacency risk or odor transfer ;
• Infestation damage

are some of the common types of damages reported on cargoes that are packed in containers. As a general rule, shipping lines reject these claims confirming that the gate out documents of the containers were clean at the time of release to the shipper. Insurance companies use Unseaworthiness and Unfitness Exclusion Clause stated in ICC (A) not to cover similar claims either, unless the insured can prove that he was not aware of the condition of the container at the time of loading. Obviously, this situation causes a lot of frustration, feelings of injustice, and could result in absorbed losses among shippers globally.

So should the shipper simply accept this rejection of claims and move on?

Hospitals made from shipping containers could help tackle COVID-19

• Architects have designed intensive care units built inside shipping containers.
• These mobile hospitals could help ease pressure on health systems.
• The team behind CURA wants to scale rapidly to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in Africa.

An Italian design company has teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create prefabricated intensive care units (ICUs), to deal with escalating numbers of coronavirus patients around the world. Coronavirus patients with access to hospital equipment, in particular ICU beds, have a much greater chance of survival. With 377,431 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on 24 March, health systems around the world are groaning under the strain.

Abandoned cargo could be quite stressful for shipping lines, shippers, port authorities and forwarders alike and is considered to be a big headache for everyone concerned..

When a cargo is abandoned it causes severe financial losses to all parties concerned - seller, buyer, shipping line, freight forwarder, transporters, banks, Government etc etc..

It could also cause a rift in business relationships between a shipping line and their customer - whether it is an importer or a freight forwarder because it could create a blemish in the customer's record with the shipping line..

When is a cargo considered to be Abandoned Cargo..??

Why is there a difference in transit time between FCL and LCL cargo to the same destination..?? If it doesn't make sense, there is a reason why this difference exists.. Read the full article to know why..

Executive Insights is a series by Shipping and Freight Resource that provides ongoing insights, enriching the knowledge of the readers with what is happening in the shipping, freight, maritime, logistics and supply chain industry and providing thoughtful analysis..

Executive Insights is also a chance to pick the brains of industry veterans, leaders and enablers..

In this edition of Executive Insights, we caught up with Michael Hohndorf, Vice President of Technical Services for CAI International, one of the leading container leasing companies in the world and their position in the market..

International trade continues to experience growing pains related to demurrage and detention charges.

Unfortunately, global transport interpretations result in an assumption that these terms are interchangeable.

Depending on the origin and destination, they have different meanings, especially in the U.S. In fact, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) took the exuberant step to eliminate confusion and streamline port management.

While beneficial, the new interpretive rule still leaves room for error, notes FleetOwner, lacking the force of legally bound duties.

To avoid an assumption of decreased demurrage and detention fees and keep ocean freight spend under control, shippers need to understand their real impacts and how these fees amount to significant issues in the global supply chain.

When Malcom Mclean an American trucking company owner/trucker turned inventor and Mechanical Engineer Keith Tantlinger got together to create the first shipping container in 1956, they definitely had no idea how viral their creation would go..

Whether as a part of the 23,498,710 TEUs in circulation right now carrying various cargoes across the world or being used as a student accommodation in South Africa or being used as a farm in Maryland, USA the ubiquitous shipping container has come a long way indeed..

But it looks like the simple yet efficient structural design and flexibility of the ubiquitous container continues to inspire people around the world to bring out the best..

I for one, am quite pleased with the many initiatives that the shipping and freight industry has been taking to combat climate change and reduce CO2 emissions..

Implementing IMO 2020 sulphur cap, testing the usage of bio-fuels to run ships, using scrubbers, avoiding north sea route, changing ships technology to use less fuel, etc etc etc.. While what is being done is commendable, there is still a LOT left to do in order to reach the goals set..

For its part, Maersk has announced that it will pilot a battery system to improve power production on board ships..

Demurrage and Detention - two terms that may be at the top of the most controversial charges levied by shipping lines..

While shipping lines may consider demurrage and detention a necessary evil, importers and exporters around the world may beg to differ..

A question that one of the readers raised was

Is there a correlation between demurrage and detention and freight rates..??

A few decades ago or even a few years ago, no one would have believed that a simple rectangular steel box with 6 sides (well most of the time) would be termed "smart".. Well, the "smart container" as it is termed now is here to stay..

Nothing displays the seriousness of this innovation better than when someone announces the setting up of the world's first smart container innovation lab.. 

Digitalisation is the buzzword making the rounds currently, especially in the shipping and freight industry..

IT boffins are creating it, VCs are funding it, Entrepreneurs are finding new uses for it, Freight Forwarders, Shipping lines, Banks and Ports are adopting it, riding the wave of digitalisation..

There are many use cases relating to technology in the shipping and freight industry, but nothing screams "we are serious about digitalisation" more than a company running a competition for container operators, in which the winner gets to convert their entire container fleet into Smart Containers..

Yes, you heard right.. An entire container fleet..

We caught up with Shachar Tal, the Co-Founder of Loginno, the company that ran this competition..

Innovation, creativity and digitalisation is in full flow within the shipping and freight industry.. The ubiquitous freight container has remained the same in terms of...

Perishable cargo may be defined as goods that can deteriorate over a given period of time if not stored or transported under ideal circumstances or if exposed to adverse temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions..

Examples of perishable cargo are Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Dairy etc..

Perishable cargoes are shipped in Reefer Containers (refrigerated containers) which are specialised containers that have been made for the purpose of carriage of perishable cargo..

But reefer containers could also pose a big problem in terms of cargo damages and cargo claims due to various factors.. This places greater attention on the correct and proper packing, handling and monitoring of both the perishable cargo and the reefer container..

As per TT Club, the majority of insurance claims they have received for perishable cargo have been found to be due to 3 main issues..

In 2017, global seaborne trade reached 10.7 billion tons.. Of this, containerised trade accounted for 1.82 billion tons..

Containerised shipping is an important component of global trade and currently there are over 22 million containers operating around the world..

The humble and ubiquitous container which was created in 1956 is universally hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world, one that completely changed the way in which business has been done since the 20th century and really and truly made the world a smaller place and the one true architect of Globalisation..

But, as much as it is important in the global trade, to many ports around the world, empty containers seem to have also become an annoying fact of life..

There may be a solution to this empty container crisis..

Imagine you are in cold Alaska or hot Kuwait where you just cannot get some of the fresh vegetables that you may need from a local farm because of the tough and extreme weather conditions..

A shipping container can provide a solution for that..

Enter The Greenery™..

The Greenery™ is the next generation of farming and is the culmination of years of development and learning from hundreds of farmers.. Finely crafted from the bottom up with brand new technology using shipping containers, the Greenery boasts a growing space 320 sq. ft and a totally new farming experience for users.. Here's how it works..

Container Studio Apartments by DriveLine Studios is a big hit in Maboneng an inner city development project in Johannesburg, South Africa..

Smart containers are containers which are equipped with sensors designed to provide real-time tracking of their location and movements..

Using this technology, whether you are a shipping line, customer or security agency, you can track the progress of your containers anywhere in the world, plan your equipment and stock inventory which could possibly lead to reduced costs..

Maersk Line is taking the RCM one step further by integrating a Virtual Assistant with it..

Smart Containers are continuing with its growth trajectory and well on its way to becoming a part of our daily lives it seems.. As I wrote in my previous article, Smart containers are containers which are equipped with sensors designed to provide real-time tracking of its location and movements..

Using this technology, whether you are a shipping line, customer or security agency, you can track the progress of your containers anywhere in the world, plan your equipment and stock inventory which could possibly lead to reduced costs..

CMA-CGM, Maersk Line, MSC, ZIM Lines, are some of the lines who are already offering smart containers in the market..

Hamburg Süd (now part of Maersk Line stables) became the latest line to announce its future use of Remote Container Management (RCM), which was announced at the Fruit Logistica 2019 in Berlin..

How would you like your entire container fleet to be made up of smart containers..?? It is a reality and a possiblity..

If you are a shipping line operating at least 1 service and have no more than 150,000 containers, you can enter a competition to convert your shipping containers into smart containers..

No this is not a myth or a joke..

Smart containers are dubbed as one of the innovations that is set to change the way in which we carry out traditional container shipping services..

This innovative technology is said to transform a standard ISO container into a smart, connected object which collects and communicates real-time data on its position and movements throughout its journey..

MSC’s is partnering with TRAXENS to convert 50,000 of its dry cargo containers to smart containers..