Note from the blogger: As Ship Chandlers, Port Elizabeth - based, we have a wide interest in all things shipping. We share this article written to celebrate 60 years of using shipping containers as we know it today.

We all know it through its many variants such as – Container, Box, TEU, FEU, Units.. It is capable of taking many sizes and types such as 20′, 40′, 45′, GP, HQ, OT, FR, RF etc etc etc..

It is universally hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the modern world, one that completely changed the way in which business has been done since the 20th century and really and truly made the world a smaller place and the one true architect of Globalisation..

The ubiquitous CONTAINER without which we may not be as connected as we are today has become an integral part of our life and it turned 60 years old on 26 April 2018.

Let’s cast our mind slightly back to where and how it all started..

Malcom McLean & Keith Tantlinger – Remember these names..

Malcom Mclean an American trucking company owner/trucker turned inventor and Mechanical Engineer Keith Tantlinger got together to create the first shipping container..

After many discussions and plans, the first lot of 58 containers were loaded on board the SS Ideal X, a converted World War II oil tanker, on 26th April 1956..

Thus began the journey of the shipping container and there has been no turning back for containerization since then.. You should also watch this video on how containerisation shaped the modern world..

In due course, ISO standards were set for containers and this enabled mass production and usage of standardised containers which also enabled the ports, container terminals and handling equipment to be standardized across the globe, the evolution of which has resulted in the current mega-ships capable of carrying more than 20,000 TEUs on a single ship..

Benefits of containerisation ranges from

• Improved and quicker handling of cargo
• Flexibility of cargo operation
• Door to Door movement using same unit
• Cargo security
• Intermodal and multimodal operations allowing cargo to reach every nook and cranny of the world whether by sea or land
• Cheaper per unit shipping which savings could be passed on to consumers

As per Clarksons Research, from 1971-1996 (20 years after containers first came in to being), there was 41 million TEUs of additional trade generated with about 3 million TEUs of container capacity delivered to serve the global industry..

From 1997 till 2016, this increased to 136 million TEUs of additional trade with 20 million TEU capacity delivered..

Containerisation has also enabled end to end seamless supply chain possibilities which has created further growth, employment and developmental opportunities..

Not just in shipping, containers are now used in many countries to create affordable and cheap housing especially for students..

So all in all Happy 60th birthday to the container and container shipping.