Monthly Archives: December 2016

The importance of shipping in the transportation industry

By

Categories: All, Tips & Trends. Tags: , , , , , .

Shipping industry – relevant in the past, present and the future

The shipping industry is one of our oldest industries and still plays an important role in our modern society. Today, over 55 000 cargo ships are active in international trade. The fleet is represented in over 150 countries, crewed with over 1.5 million sailors working around the world. The different types of cargo being transported are goods for consumers, food, raw material, cars and fuel, just to name a few.

Short facts about the greatness of the shipping industry

It is not every day that the greatness of the shipping industry comes to mind. To give you a better understanding for the importance of shipping in the transportation industry, we want to highlight eight interesting facts:

  • About 20 million containers are traveling across the oceans every day. If we lined up all the world’s containers, the line of containers would stretch halfway around the planet.
  • Greencarrier Liner Agency’s principal Evergreen Line ranks top five within the biggest container fleets in the world, with over 189 ships and approximately 990,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit).
  • The engine in a container ship can have up to 1000 times more power than an engine in a family car.
  • Even though container ships are large, most of them have a rather small crew of approximately 13-24 crewmembers.
  • A container ship travels enormous distances across the oceans every year. One year of traveling could be compared with the distance of traveling three-quarters of the way to the moon and back.
  • The standard shipping container (20′) contains 33,1 cubic meters. The 40′ high cube shipping container can hold 76,2 cubic meters. What does this mean? Well, for size reference, you can fill a 40′ high cube container with 8443 shoeboxes.
  • Containers are marked with a BIC code, which you can compare to a license plate on a car. The BIC code is made in a standard format [XXX-U-123456-1]. “XXX” signify the owner and “U” defines the container’s category (U= Freight Container, J= Freight related equipment, Z= trailers or chassis). The six following digits are a unique serial number and the last number is a check digit.
  • At Greencarrier Liner Agency and Evergreen Line, we believe in the importance of environmental protection and take many actions to minimise the environmental impact of our operations. The shipping industry produces the smallest amount of CO2 emissions per mile and per ton of transported cargo. Although shipping still produces a significant amount of CO2 emissions, this transport type is still known as the most efficient within commercial cargo.

A transportation partner that takes responsibility for the environment

For Greencarrier Liner Agency’s principal Evergreen Line, the environment is an integral and essential part of the daily work. Environment is always on Evergreen’s agenda, and our ambition is to be the frontrunner in the transport industry and a partner who provides eco-friendly alternatives to traditional transport solutions. Our environmental responsibility includes caring for the environment across all levels of our organisation. Therefore, we find the shipping industry to be a truly good transportation alternative for both our customers and the environment.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Please visit our website to read more about how we invest in the environment or how we work with environmental actions to minimise emissions of vessels. Don’t forget to share your thoughts on our social media channels.

Confessions of a retiring container – Ten years of service in the liner shipping industry

By

Categories: All, Tips & Trends.

Dear all,

My name is EISU3792350 and today is my last day of duty. I am retiring from over ten years of service in the liner shipping industry. Even though I am the rough type of guy, built from two millimetres corrugated steel, I am also getting weaker by age. Therefore, I am being sold today, for a quiet and less exhausting life as extra storage space at a farm outside Gothenburg in Sweden.

My type is quite new to this world, but my story began already in the 1950’s. Some might say a box is a box, but let me tell you a little bit about our origin. In 1955, a man named Malcom P. McLean developed a standardised box, which was intermodal and could be transported in several modes such as rail, truck, and sea without the cargo being re-stuffed. The very first journey of a standardised container was conducted in 1956. Even though the pure container ships weren’t built yet, a modified tanker ship from World War II shipped the first container between New Jersey and Texas. This was the first step in containerising the shipping industry, and a few years later, in 1961, the big leap was taken when standardised dimensions revolutionised the industry.

Now you might wonder, why using containers? Compared to traditional cargo handling, there are several advantages of using containers. The most obvious one is the fact that the cargo doesn’t need to be re-stuffed when transferred from one modal carrier to another. Instead, the cargo can be carried from door to door in the same unit, also leading to shorter transit time. A container is, on top of the previously mentioned advantages, also excellent packaging and protection for the cargo, which reduces the risk of cargo damage. All in all, these advantages are most likely the reason for 60% of the cargo value at sea being shipped in containers.

Looking back at my life – and it has been a good one – I have travelled the world and seen more places than most people have. I have participated in improving people’s quality of life, by carrying cargo to remote places where supplies are crucial for survival, or just by carrying Christmas gifts to joyful children. That kind of service truly gives me satisfaction at this point in life, I must say.

During my years in service, I have visited approximately 40 different countries, and the total distance I have travelled is more laps round the globe than I can remember. I have been lifted 500 times in traffic, not to mention all lifts inside terminals and to and from repair shops. A life like mine takes its toll. Therefore, a calmer life is very welcomed now. This week, my “Evergreen tattoo” is being removed as I will spend my retirement neutral. I am still very green though, so you will easily recognise me when passing through rural parts of Gothenburg.

Yours sincerely,
EISU3792350

We wish our retired container all the best of luck and say, thank you, for all the cargo it has carried during all those the years – it has been a pleasure! Visit our Knowledge Center for more fun and interesting blog articles, and if you have any questions about shipping containers or need help to choose the right unit, don’t hesitate to contact us.