Understanding Modern Container Shipping

Modern shippers mostly transport things by container. When containers were standardized, it was easy to ship from one country to another and to switch from one mode of transportation to another without having to break bulk, or separate cargo goods into individual pieces. Containerization has reduced costs and streamlined the shipping process on an international level.

The idea of containerization was introduced by Benjamin Chinitz in the 1950's. He thought that containerization would benefit New York by making it cheaper to export goods to the southern states. He had no idea that the idea would revolutionize the shipping industry worldwide.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a group of representatives from several countries that come together to agree on standardizations of certain things in certain industries. The ISO agreed upon the internal and external dimensions, volume capacity, and weight of these containers. They also made other specifications so that containers could be sealed, improving security for international shipping. They agreed on how the containers should be built so that they were strong enough to withstand stacking. "Twistlock" points are connected when containers are stacked to ensure that they are securely held together and stacked properly. Many other standards focused around size, shape, strength, and weight were set.

Standardizing containers across the globe has made it possible for international ocean shipping ports and companies to easily work together. The equipment is standardized to handle ISO containers all over the world. Using containers has eliminated the need to pack and unpack shipments as they go from one form of transport to another. Containers can remain sealed and can easily go from ocean freight, to barge, rail, or truck. They can be delivered from a manufacturer overseas directly to a store in the United States, essentially without ever stopping.

The advancement that was made when shipping containers were standardized has changed the shipping industry forever. Security was greatly increased. Shipping time was greatly decreased. The unique codes on each container made tracking a lot easier. Ocean freight shipping was revolutionized. Ocean shipping grew from a treacherous and lengthy endeavor to a highly efficient means of importing and exporting goods internationally.

With today's modern ports and giant fleets of cargo ships travelling all over the world, the industry has had to become high tech. Computerization of the shipping process has made it possible to track individual containers as they travel around the globe. Customers can watch and track their goods as they go from truck, to cargo ship, to barge, and back to truck. With customs, security, insurance, freight forwarding and more, the use of a logistics company to manage it all has become a necessity. Now, customers can ship things internationally more quickly and easily, for less cost and more security, than any other time in history.

About the Author: Nelson Cabrera is the Business Development Manager of Lilly & Associates International, a transportaion and logistics company specializing in ocean freight and ocean shipping services. For more information, please visit http://www.shiplilly.com/.