Intermodal container: Difference between revisions
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Specialized [[container ship]]s can carry cargo entirely composed of thousands of containers.<ref name=USDoTchap8/> | Specialized [[container ship]]s can carry cargo entirely composed of thousands of containers.<ref name=USDoTchap8/> | ||
They must be unloaded in special [[container port]]s, where the cargo is cargo is then loaded onto railway [[flatcar]]s, large [[transport truck]]s, or [[canal barge]]s. | They must be unloaded in special [[container port]]s, where the cargo is cargo is then loaded onto railway [[flatcar]]s, large [[transport truck]]s, or [[canal barge]]s. | ||
It is like a [[boxcar]] that does not have wheels. Based on size alone, up to 95% of intermodal containers comply with ISO standards,<ref name="Production2007" /> and can officially be called '''ISO containers'''. These containers are known by many names: '''freight''' container, '''sea''' container, '''ocean''' container, '''container van''' or '''sea van''', '''sea can''' or '''C can''', or '''MILVAN''',<ref>{{cite web |title=M: MILVAN : military van (container) |url=https://www.militaryfactory.com/dictionary/military-terms-alphabet-list.php?letter_group=M |website=Military Dictionary |publisher=MilitaryFactory.com |access-date=29 November 2021 |quote=Military-owned, demountable container, conforming to US and international standards, operated in a centrally controlled fleet for movement of military cargo. Also called MILVAN.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NSN: 8145-01-C00-8991 (CONTAINER SHIPPING AND STORAGE: 20 FT MILVAN) |url=https://www.armyproperty.com/nsn/8145-01-C00-8991 |website=ArmyProperty.com |access-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129010520/https://www.armyproperty.com/nsn/8145-01-C00-8991 |archive-date=29 November 2021}}</ref> or '''SEAVAN'''.{{cn|date=January 2024}} The term '''CONEX (Box)''' is a technically incorrect carry-over usage of the name of an important predecessor of the ISO containers: the much smaller steel [[Conex box|CONEX boxes]] used by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. | |||
Intermodal containers exist in many types and standardized sizes, but 90 percent of the global container fleet are "dry freight" or "general purpose" containers:<ref name=Production2007/><ref name=ShipCouncilFleet/> durable, closed rectangular boxes, made of rust-retardant Corten steel; almost all 8 feet (2.44 m) wide, and of either 20 or 40 feet (6.10 or 12.19 m) standard length, as defined by [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) [[ISO 668|standard 668:2020]].<ref name=Production2007/><ref name=CSIUcontainerfleet/> The worldwide standard heights are 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) and 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) – the latter are known as High Cube or Hi-Cube (HC or HQ) containers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shipsbusiness.com/container-sizes.html|title=Container sizes| publisher=Shipsbusiness.com|access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref> Depending on the source, these containers may be termed TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), reflecting the 20- or 40-foot dimensions. | |||
Invented in the early 20th century, 40-foot intermodal containers proliferated during the 1960s and 1970s under the [[containerization]] innovations of the American shipping company [[SeaLand]]. Like [[cardboard box]]es and [[pallet]]s, these containers are a means to bundle cargo and goods into larger, [[Unit load|unitized loads]] that can be easily handled, moved, and stacked, and that will pack tightly in a ship or yard. Intermodal containers share a number of construction features to withstand the stresses of intermodal shipping, to facilitate their handling, and to allow stacking. Each has a unique [[ISO 6346]] reporting mark. | |||
In 2012, there were about 20.5 million intermodal containers in the world of varying types to suit different cargoes.<ref name=CSIUcontainerfleet>{{Cite web |date=January 2014 |title=World Container Fleet Overview |url=https://www.csiu.co/resources-and-links/world-container-fleet |website=csiu.co |publisher=CSI Container Services International |access-date=9 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308125348/http://www.csiu.co/resources-and-links/world-container-fleet |archive-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Up from an estimated 18.6 million in 2011<ref name=WorldCouncilSupply>{{Cite report |date=May 2011 |title=Container Supply Review |url=http://www.worldshipping.org/public-statements/2011_container_supply_review_final.pdf |publisher=[[World Shipping Council]] |page=1 |access-date=18 July 2015 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> |group="nb"}} Containers have largely supplanted the traditional [[break bulk cargo]]; in 2010, containers accounted for 60% of the world's seaborne trade.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statista.com/topics/1367/container-shipping/ |title=Container Shipping – Statistics & Facts |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Statista.com |publisher=[[Statista|Statista Inc.]] |access-date=27 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205224323/http://www.statista.com/topics/1367/container-shipping/ |archive-date=2014-12-05}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141008144227/http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade Global Trade] – [[World Shipping Council]]</ref> The predominant alternative methods of transport carry [[bulk cargo]], whether gaseous, liquid, or solid—e.g., by [[bulk carrier]] or [[tanker (ship)|tank ship]], [[tank car]], or [[tank truck|truck]]. For [[air freight]], the lighter weight [[IATA]]-defined [[unit load device]]s are used. | |||
==Attribution== | |||
{{WPAttribution}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{ | <references> | ||
<ref name=Production2007> | |||
{{cite web |url=https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch3en/conc3en/containerproduction.html |title=World Container Production, 2007 |author=Jean-Paul Rodrigue |website=The Geography of Transport Systems |publisher=[[Hofstra University]] |access-date=19 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704071409/http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch3en/conc3en/containerproduction.html |archive-date=4 July 2013}}</ref><ref name=ShipCouncilFleet>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/containers/global-container-fleet |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150511184228/http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/containers/global-container-fleet |url-status = dead|archive-date=2015-05-11 |title=Global Container Fleet |date=2013 |website=www.worldshipping.org |publisher=[[World Shipping Council]] |access-date=19 July 2015 }} | |||
</ref> | |||
</references> | |||
Revision as of 12:23, 24 July 2024
Intermodal containers are standard-sized, metal cargo containers that are designed to be moved unloaded from one mode of transport to another, i.e. to/from ships or trains or trucks.[1]
Specialized container ships can carry cargo entirely composed of thousands of containers.[1] They must be unloaded in special container ports, where the cargo is cargo is then loaded onto railway flatcars, large transport trucks, or canal barges.
It is like a boxcar that does not have wheels. Based on size alone, up to 95% of intermodal containers comply with ISO standards,[2] and can officially be called ISO containers. These containers are known by many names: freight container, sea container, ocean container, container van or sea van, sea can or C can, or MILVAN,[3][4] or SEAVAN.Template:Cn The term CONEX (Box) is a technically incorrect carry-over usage of the name of an important predecessor of the ISO containers: the much smaller steel CONEX boxes used by the U.S. Army.
Intermodal containers exist in many types and standardized sizes, but 90 percent of the global container fleet are "dry freight" or "general purpose" containers:[2][5] durable, closed rectangular boxes, made of rust-retardant Corten steel; almost all 8 feet (2.44 m) wide, and of either 20 or 40 feet (6.10 or 12.19 m) standard length, as defined by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 668:2020.[2][6] The worldwide standard heights are 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) and 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) – the latter are known as High Cube or Hi-Cube (HC or HQ) containers.[7] Depending on the source, these containers may be termed TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), reflecting the 20- or 40-foot dimensions.
Invented in the early 20th century, 40-foot intermodal containers proliferated during the 1960s and 1970s under the containerization innovations of the American shipping company SeaLand. Like cardboard boxes and pallets, these containers are a means to bundle cargo and goods into larger, unitized loads that can be easily handled, moved, and stacked, and that will pack tightly in a ship or yard. Intermodal containers share a number of construction features to withstand the stresses of intermodal shipping, to facilitate their handling, and to allow stacking. Each has a unique ISO 6346 reporting mark.
In 2012, there were about 20.5 million intermodal containers in the world of varying types to suit different cargoes.[6][nb 1] Containers have largely supplanted the traditional break bulk cargo; in 2010, containers accounted for 60% of the world's seaborne trade.[9][10] The predominant alternative methods of transport carry bulk cargo, whether gaseous, liquid, or solid—e.g., by bulk carrier or tank ship, tank car, or truck. For air freight, the lighter weight IATA-defined unit load devices are used.
Attribution
- Some content on this page may previously have appeared on Wikipedia.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Intermodal Containers, United States Department of Transport. Retrieved on 2008-11-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jean-Paul Rodrigue. World Container Production, 2007. Hofstra University.
- ↑ M: MILVAN : military van (container). MilitaryFactory.com. “Military-owned, demountable container, conforming to US and international standards, operated in a centrally controlled fleet for movement of military cargo. Also called MILVAN.”
- ↑ NSN: 8145-01-C00-8991 (CONTAINER SHIPPING AND STORAGE: 20 FT MILVAN).
- ↑ Global Container Fleet. World Shipping Council (2013).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 World Container Fleet Overview. CSI Container Services International (January 2014).
- ↑ Container sizes. Shipsbusiness.com.
- ↑ Template:Cite reportTemplate:Cbignore
- ↑ Container Shipping – Statistics & Facts. Statista Inc..
- ↑ Global Trade – World Shipping Council
Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "nb", but no corresponding <references group="nb"/> tag was found