6.5　Container Transport集装箱运输

If you have ever seen a container,you may find that it is nothing but a big “box”,yet it has a legendary story with a short history.Before the advent of containers,cargoes come in various shapes,packages and weights.Loading and unloading a ship was labor-intensive,backbreaking and time-consuming.The idea of using a big “box”to hold cargoes of varied natures and shapes was pioneered in 1956 by Malcom McLean,owner of a trucking company in North Carolina,the United States.His idea has revolutionized international shipping ever since.As the big“boxes”were finally decided to be in standardized measurements,they can be stacked on top of one another neatly and for many layers so that port cranes can process them efficiently.Containers’ prevalence in ocean shipping drives revolution of the shipbuilding industry as well,making container ships universal and larger day by day.It also helps to achieve “one-stop”delivery for international buyers by linking different modes of transport while reducing handling of cargoes to the minimum.

Properly speaking,container transport is not a mode of transport but an instrument to link various modes of transport.Therefore,it can be employed by any mode of transport(by sea,air,rail or road,etc.)Though it is mostly used for FCL/FCL transport as containers travel from end to end without being opened in transit,it also applies to LCL/LCL cargoes.Door-to-door service is also available.Transport by means of containers reduces costs and time for loading and unloading,and protects the shipments from pilferage and damage in handling.Thecapacity is large.Therefore,it has become the most popular means of transport today for shipping goods internationally.