Container ship
Container ships (sometimes spelled containerships) are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They are a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport and now carry most seagoing non-bulk cargo.
Container ship capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Typical loads are a mix of 20-foot and 40-foot (2-TEU) ISO-standard containers, with the latter predominant.
Today, about 90% of non-bulk cargo worldwide is transported by container, and modern container ships can carry over 19,000 TEU (e.g., MSC Zoe). Container ships now rival crude oil tankers and bulk carriers as the largest commercial vessels on the ocean.
History
There are two main types of dry cargo: bulk cargo and break bulk cargo. Bulk cargoes, like grain or coal, are transported unpackaged in the hull of the ship, generally in large volume. Break-bulk cargoes, on the other hand, are transported in packages, and are generally manufactured goods. Before the advent of containerization in the 1950s, break-bulk items were loaded, lashed, unlashed and unloaded from the ship one piece at a time. However, by grouping cargo into containers, 1,000 to 3,000 cubic feet (28 to 85 m3) of cargo, or up to about 64,000 pounds (29,000 kg), is moved at once and each container is secured to the ship once in a standardized way. Containerization has increased the efficiency of moving traditional break-bulk cargoes significantly, reducing shipping time by 84% and costs by 35%. In 2001, more than 90% of world trade in non-bulk goods was transported in ISO containers. In 2009, almost one quarter of the world's dry cargo was shipped by container, an estimated 125 million TEU or 1.19 billion metric tons worth of cargo.
Latest News for: Containership
CMA CGM looks to expand footprint of LNG-fuelled containerships
Tradewinds 18 Nov 2020World’s largest LNG containership makes first call in Hamburg
Public Technologies 09 Nov 2020Seaspan Announces Delivery of Two High-Quality 12,000 TEU Containerships on Long-Term Charter
PR Newswire 03 Nov 2020OOCL ups mega-size containership tally by seven with new order worth $1.1bn
Tradewinds 02 Nov 2020Greek warship collides with containership off Piraeus port, 2 slightly injured: media
Xinhua 27 Oct 2020Ex-RN minehunter cut in half during collision with Maersk containership.
Democratic Underground 27 Oct 2020Qingdao Yangfan resurrected with Delphis order for 5,500-teu containerships
Tradewinds 07 Oct 2020- 1
- 2
- Next page »
Article Search
Most Viewed
