The Advent of Containerization

15 Apr 2023 News

Casual students and observers of the marine industry, and even many of the younger generation within the industry, could be forgiven for assuming that containerization has always been with us. However, that is not the case.

Until the 1970’s, the movement of cargoes across the globe was performed largely in break bulk form by general cargo vessels. Many of us remember it well since these vessels were the norm in the early years of our careers. The first sparks of the container revolution are largely attributed to Mr. Malcom McLean an American east coast truck owner. Rather than have his trucks driven up and down the coast, he decided to try packing them into “boxes” and in 1955 bought the first of two ships to move them.

 

The decision was made to purchase and convert a 1945 built 10,572 tonnes deadweight T2 standard design tanker, originally named Potrero Hills. The conversion was undertaken by the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland, and she was renamed Ideal X. The maiden voyage took place in April 1956 when she carried 58 containers (initially called trailer vans) from Port Newark, New Jersey, to the Port of Houston Texas.

Ideal X – Pan Atlantic Steamship Corp.

 

Ideal X was sold to Bulgarian owners in 1959 and renamed Elemir. She was scrapped in Japan in 1964 after suffering heavy weather damage.

 

However, it has to be recognized that there was a rival at the time in the form of the Clifford J Rodgers which is recognized as the first “purpose built” container ship. She was built at the Vickers Shipyard in Montreal for the Yukon and White Pass Railway and from 1955 she sailed between Vancouver and Skagway carrying around 168 8’x8’x7’ metal containers.

 

While having cell guides below deck, she had conventional cargo handling derricks above deck and at 102 metres in length, she had deadweight of 4,005 tons. She remained operational until 1975 when under the new name of Drosia she foundered off Cape Hatteras on with the loss of eight lives, 16 crew members having been rescued by the U.S. Navy.

Clifford J Rogers – Yukon and White Pass Railway

 

Returning to Malcom McLean, by the 1960’s his vision was gaining global recognition as a solution to the high costs and low productivity associated with general cargo vessels where the majority of merchandise was man handled. The process of transition was further accelerated by extended strikes involving seamen and dock workers in the U.S. and Europe.

McLean changed the company’s name from Pan Atlantic Steamship Corporation to Sea-Land Service in 1960 and under the new name there was a rapid expansion of services to both Europe and Asia. Today he is widely recognized as having initiated what is arguably the greatest single advance in global trade and can therefore take credit for an incalculable contribution to human economic development.

Malcom McLean

 

It is doubtful than many of those who serve on today’s mega container vessels of up to 24,000 TEU capacity know the history of containerization but it has been quite a ride and continues to amaze.

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