Transport Atlas

How The World Moves
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Concept

Containerization

Logistics and Intermodal Concepts

The practice of moving freight in standardized, stackable steel boxes that can be transferred between ship, rail and truck without unloading and repacking the goods inside them. Pioneered commercially by Malcom McLean, whose converted tanker Ideal X carried the first successful container shipment in 1956, containerization sharply cut loading costs and theft, and it is widely credited with making the modern scale of global trade possible. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Core Concern
Standardizing freight into uniform boxes movable between modes without handling the goods themselves. 1
FAQs

Who is credited with pioneering commercial containerization, and when?

Malcom McLean, whose converted tanker Ideal X carried the first successful container shipment in 1956.

Containerization is credited to Malcom McLean, who converted a tanker called the Ideal X to carry standardized, stackable steel shipping containers. The Ideal X carried the first successful container shipment in 1956, letting freight move between ship, rail and truck without unloading and repacking the goods inside, which sharply cut loading costs and theft. Containerization is widely credited with making the modern scale of global trade possible.
Connections

Exemplified By

Long-Form Articles

Pioneered By

Malcom McLean, Figures
Sources
1. Wikipedia: SS Ideal X
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
During her first voyage in her new configuration, on 26 April 1956, the Ideal X carried 58 containers from Port Newark, New Jersey, to Port of Houston, Texas, where 58 trucks were waiting to be loaded with the containers.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit
WikipediaLead section, first sentence
Quote, Lead section, first sentence
The twenty-foot equivalent unit (abbreviated TEU or teu) is a general unit of cargo capacity, often used for container ships and container ports.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Cold Chain
WikipediaHas Part: Cold Chain, Technologies, fleet telematics section
Quote, Has Part: Cold Chain, Technologies, fleet telematics section
Refrigerated trucks, railcars, and reefer containers are typically equipped with advanced fleet telematics systems.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Demurrage
WikipediaHas Part: Demurrage, Container haulage section
Quote, Has Part: Demurrage, Container haulage section
the industry refers to this container usage beyond the time allowed as Container Demurrage.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Containerization
WikipediaIn Group: Supply Chain Concepts, Lead
Quote, In Group: Supply Chain Concepts, Lead
is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.