Many people regard the humble shipping container as simply just a big steel box. There is a wealth of history behind it, which makes it so much more than that! Those people who understand its significance and importance in the global trade industry, consider the container to be one of the most important inventions in the world to date. In this blog post, we will explain the history and importance of the shipping container.
Who is Malcom McLean?
Well, he is a very important individual for the history of the container! He came up with the idea of a steel container that could be loaded with goods and easily transported. McLean was an American man and the owner of a trucking business in the United States. After he purchased a steamship company, he wanted to come up with an easy way of moving goods from the truck to the ship.
His theory was that the whole vessel needed to be easily transportable – with the goods still inside – rather than having to move the contents one by one (which would have been a very labour some process!) From this, he came up with the idea of the steel shipping container. In 1956, he patented the container and its design, set about building the product for global distribution, and the rest is history!
Benefits of the Containers
As a result of Malcom McLean’s new invention, he reduced the total cost of loading and unloading the cargo by over 90% – an amazing saving! Based on 1956 prices, this was originally $5.86 tonne to load, but reduced to $0.16 tonne to load!
The container was invented based on an intermodal theory, which is key to global shipping to this day and keeping a high level of efficiency. Intermodal systems allow for one container to be packed with goods at one starting location, then transported via road, rail or sea. The container would then arrive at its final destination, without having to remove the goods from the container at all!
The World’s First Transported Container
26th April 1956 was the date that the first freighter – named ‘Ideal X’ – was used to transport goods using McLean’s new shipping containers. A total of 58 shipping containers were transported via ship from Newark to Houston. Shortly after this date, the first ship designed purely for carrying shipping containers was put into service. It was called ‘the Maxton’ and could carry up to 60 shipping containers at one time as deck cargo.
It was essential for McLean’s containers to be built to a specific standard and that every container across the globe was built to the same specification. This was essential if they were to be transported across the world and be handled at every port. There were many negotiations, but eventually an international standard was agreed. The ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) set the sizes for shipping containers at 10’, 20’, 30’ and 40’ with a width of 8’ and a height of 8’6”. This size has stayed the same to this day.
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We hope that you have enjoyed the article and have learned about the history of the shipping container. If you have any questions or would like to find out more about containers and self-storage options, please get in touch with us by phone and we’ll be able to help you find the right solution for all your storage needs.
