5 Ways Shipping Containers Have Changed The World

The shipping container has changed our world today significantly more than you may realize. From the original use of transporting cargo, to complete apartment building structures. Consider these 5 ways how the shipping container has impacted our world and our living standards.

1. Infrastructure

Cargo transportation is now designed to accommodate shipping containers. Ships, trucks, planes, trains are all constructed around the dimensions of the container. Infrastructure has been adapted exclusively to handle, load and transport huge volumes of modular cargo boxes.

2. Cranes Over Hard Labour

Before the invention of shipping containers, the cargo was loaded and unloaded by hand onto “break bulk” cargo ships. With the rise of the shipping container, this hard labour has been replaced by cranes.

3. Max Capacity

Shanghai has the largest container port on the planet, handles more than 31 million units per year.
Prior to the container, the volume of cargo that could be transported via ocean-trade was minuscule.

Today, more than 90 percent of cargo is transported via ship.

4. Global cost savings

In the ’50s, the average costs of cargo loading were $5.86 per tonne. Avoidable influences such as damage, theft and material loss accounted for 75% of this cost.

Today, it now costs $0.16 per tonne to transport goods around the world. This huge cost savings has advanced our living standard. We now have full access to produce from around the world, electronics, and any kind of clothing and home appliances you could ever want.

5. From Factory to Market in Days

In the ’50s, it would take an hour to load only 1.3 tonnes. To load an entire ship would take weeks.

Today, it is now made possible to load and unload 150 shipping containers, or 10, 000 tonnes, per hour

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