How are goods transported throughout the world?

Containerization Conceived of in 1937 by Malcolm McLean, an American from North Carolina He owned and operated the largest trucking company in the United States Tried to come up with ways to be more efficient

Previously, cargo was broken down and put in the cargo hold Break-Bulk cargo

McLean’s initial idea He said the idea that gave birth to containerisation came to him one day in 1937. He had delivered a load of cotton bales to the port of Hoboken, for shipment abroad. In later life Mr McLean recalled the moment to American Shipper, a magazine: I had to wait most of the day to deliver the bales, sitting there in my truck, watching stevedores load other cargo. It struck me that I was looking at a lot of wasted time and money. I watched them take each crate off a truck and slip it into a sling, which would then lift the crate into the hold of the ship. Once there, every sling had to be unloaded, and the cargo stowed properly. The thought occurred to me, as I waited around that day, that it would be easier to lift my trailer up and, without any of its contents being touched, put it on the ship.

Containers! A container of goods can be moved from a railroad to a ship to a truck, without having to be unloaded and reloaded

Money involved with container shipping The Panama Canal Built in 1913 – opened in 1914 13 – 14 thousand ships a year travel traverse the canal Two sets of locks Gatun and Pedro Miguel

Locks in the Canal

Panama Canal

Suez Canal Completed in 1859 101 miles long

Suez Canal

London’s Gateway deepwater Port

Deep water ports in the U.S.

Seattle

Other uses

Freighters use the Northwest Passage Nordic Orion

Friendly Floaties

Fowl Garbage

Map from North Pole

Sinking container ship