Cargo Container

Cargo containers are used to transport around 90% of all non-bulk cargo throughout the world, and revolutionized the way that all sorts of goods are moved from place to place. Let’s take a look at more detail just what the cargo container is, and how it helps to keep the costs of transporting many types of goods more convenient and affordable.

What is a Cargo Container?

Cargo containers do come in different sizes, although there is a standardized recommendation which is recognized globally, as these cargo containers need to pass from ship to ship and truck to truck, so some sort of standardization was essential. A cargo container is essentially a big box which can be used to transport just about anything, from food to clothes to car parts to electronic goods. The beauty of the system is that all goods are transported in containers of uniform size, which makes the logistics of loading your freight carrier a much simpler task (if they were all shapes and sizes it would be like trying to fit a giant jig-saw). They are generally manufactured from a semi-soft alloy which is quite flexible but not too strong, after all, they have to be strong enough to stand up to being loaded, unloaded and generally jostled about, yet the lighter that they are (unladen) the better. 

It has been reported that during 2005, a staggering 18 million containers made over 200 million trips, with around 26% of them originating from China – puts a whole new meaning on the “slow boat to China” doesn’t it?

How Cargo Containers Help

Cargo Containers have made a big difference in the way that we transport our goods right from the point of manufacture to the point of sale:

• A container can be placed at the point of manufacture and gradually loaded
• A truck can then collect the container and take it to the dispatch port or other means of transport (railroads use cargo containers too)
• The container can be stored safely on the docks until the cargo carrier arrives
• The cargo container is then loaded uniformly onto the carrier
• Travel, travel, travel, the cargo container arrives at the port of destination and is unloaded onto the docks
• Another truck can collect the container and deliver it to a distribution warehouse
• The cargo container is then opened and the goods dispatched to the necessary points of sale

All of this occurs without anybody needing to go open the container at any time, so the goods are exactly as they were at the point of manufacture.

Of course, drug (and people) trafficking and other smuggling activities mean that there are strict rules regarding the import and export of these containers, and it is now quite commonplace that they need to be searched if something seems a little suspicious, sniffer dogs are a great weapon in the fight against these types of crime.

All At Sea

An estimated 10,000 cargo containers are lost at sea each year, generally as a result of high seas and stormy weather. Surprisingly they don’t always sink and become “buried treasure” but sometimes float around (although they are not high out of the water and are a potential shipping hazard).

Air Freight Cargo Containers

Many of the major airlines use containers which are custom made to fit their particular aircraft, but some standardization is also creeping in here.

Personal Containers

Because of the security aspects of these containers, people who are locating to another part of the world find it a great way of transporting all of their private goods and personal effects. You can simply load the container at your old house, and unload it at your new one (or get a man in to do it for you!) - magic.

Some people use containers as a casket alternative.