Containers consume a lot of space in terminals (mainly for storage), which means that many intermodal terminals have been relocated to the urban periphery. Containers, whether they carry cargo or if they are empty, take up a lot of space. Terminals must have enough space to stack containers entering and leaving them. Containers that must come out first should not be at the bottom of a stack. Maritime transport is the most common mode of international freight transport.
It is used to ship a variety of products, from crude oil, raw materials and industrial equipment to cars, fruits, dairy products, meat, clothing, and others. The goods are transported in huge container ships that can carry between 10,000 and 21,000 TEU (units equivalent to twenty feet). There are container ships that are even bigger. The HMM Algeciras, for example, built by South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering for the logistics company HMM, has a capacity of 23,964 TEU.
The MSC Gülsün, built by South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, can carry 23 756 TEU. If you have a shipment of significant weight and volume, shipping is your best option. Shipping and air transport have their own advantages and disadvantages, and both are suitable for different types of products. If you find it difficult to choose between the two, here are some points to keep in mind to help you make a decision. An unmodified shipping container often has no ventilation.
It can be very cold or hot depending on weather conditions. Without adequate ventilation, this can cause products to melt or, in some cases, explode. Shipping containers have exploded due to inadequate storage of gaseous substances. Before investing in shipping containers for your warehouse, make sure your goods can withstand the heat.
You can also buy or rent containers with appropriate ventilation systems to prevent a unit from overheating. These maintain a stable temperature inside, have controlled humidity levels and adequate airflow, making them suitable for shipping refrigerated and frozen products, such as dairy and meat products, frozen fish and seafood, such as salmon and tuna, ice cream and concentrates. Once they are convicted after they are no longer usable, the containers are often used for storage or converted into housing. With larger, more powerful cargo ships and modern container handling equipment, transshipment times have been drastically reduced.
Containers can carry a wide variety of products, from cereals or food products to machinery. Unless empty containers are removed from empty container warehouses and moved to places where they can be used, there would be an imbalance between supply and demand, leading to a shortage of containers for shipping. Intermodal containers come in standard sizes of 20, 40, and 45 feet and can therefore be handled with standard container handling equipment, such as cranes or heavy lifters. It is impossible to talk about the main disadvantages of reusing shipping containers without mentioning the difficulties of controlling the temperature inside.
This process of shipping cargo in different types of intermodal containers is called containerization. Intermodal containers are heavy-duty boxes of standard sizes made of corten steel, a special steel alloy that can resist corrosion and other aggressive elements of nature. The right supplier can produce a modified shipping container ready to use in weeks and customized to your specific needs. ULD containers, made of aluminum or a combination of aluminum and plastic, are closed boxes used for air cargo.
As companies seek to scale and plan their seasonal storage needs, more and more warehouses are turning to shipping containers. Shipping rates are still high compared to before the pandemic, but are down from their peak recorded last year. The 45-foot-tall cubic container has a load capacity of less than 27600 kg, while it can support a volume of approximately 85 cubic meters. To protect these products from contamination, the insulating containers are equipped with a mechanical compressor to keep the indoor air warm or cold, depending on the needs of the cargo.
