When considering where to place you storage container there are many issues which you will have to consider before the actual structure can be positioned. Here at Boxtainer we are dedicated to providing you with the best possible advise to enable you to get the positioning and layout exactly right.

One question which is raised time and time again is whether or not you should place anything below the storage container for it to rest on and how that will affect the functionality of it.

The first thing to mention whilst answering this is to state a fairly obvious fact, and that is that ideally the container must be placed on a level surface. There are numerous reasons for this, the most important however is that if this does not occur then you may experience problems opening and closing the doors of the container. This potentially could cause untold amount of frustration and therefore it is advisable that this is avoided by making sure that the surface on which the container will rest is level.

Paving slabs or sleepers are excellent at solving the problem of an uneven surface, these are ideal for placing below the structure and will eradicate the problems highlighted above.

Although it is the customers responsibility to ensure that the surface is flat, we are of course always available to listen to any of your container related queries, and will provide sound advice to ensure that you have every eventuality covered.

It is often asked whether or not your need to obtain planning permission before placing your storage container in the required location.

In short, the answer should be no you dont, as the structures themselves are not permanent and can therefore be removed quite easily at any time. Also, they in no way alter the structure of the buildings themselves and are stand alone features which are used for a variety of different functions.

However, it is advisable that you do some research into the exact specifications of your container and where you will be placing it. This could mean a trip to the local library and a flick through some relevant literature, or making a short appointment with a planning officer.

It is also advisable that you determine whether or not the structure is to be placed within a residential area, likely to cause unrest amongst the homeowners, or situated close to a road junction. These are factors which may need to be resolved before the actual container can be placed in the desired spot.

On the whole, planning application is not needed for storage containers, however it is important that you recognise the above issues which you may need to look into for piece of mind.

In today’s society, it is necessary to be incredibly vigilant in terms of national security and also the potentially illegal goods which may enter the country. This, of course is particularly relevant within the shipping industry where high amounts of goods are imported every single day.

Ideally, every shipping container which enters the country should be searched and it’s contents verified. However, in practice this is impossible, due to the sheer number of containers which are received each day and the fact that it would be incredibly expensive to hire the required number of people to search these in a quick and effective manner.

Over recent times, there has been a growing fear that shipping containers could be utilised to smuggle drugs, terrorist devices and illegal immigrants into the country, which are not being picked up. As a result of this, the measures which govern the shipping industry are being tightened all the time to ensure that the amount of illegal products entering the country are heavily minimised.

One of the leading set of objectives which has been proposed to this end, is the American Container Security Initiative. This implores that all containers which are deemed to be of high risk, are thoroughly searched, either by manual or electronic means, ideally before the transportation has been made.

The movement of illegal products cannot be totally eradicated, but the shipping industry is evolving at a remarkably quick pace to ensure that the procedures are implemented for this to be minimised.

There are many uses for storage containers and in many ways, this is only constrained by the powers of the imagination.

Over recent years, trends have indicated that containers are increasingly being used as portable accommodation devices. This has been particularly exemplified within North America where the structures are ideal for temporary accommodation, due to the fact that they are movable, stackable, durable, strong and perhaps most importantly, relatively inexpensive.

It is therefore understandable that these containers have been used for an eclectic range of functions as diverse as offices, emergency shelters, schools as well as standard living quarters.

To highlight the multitude of ways which storage containers can be used, it is useful to consider the Gulf War of the early 1990s. Here, containers were used in many inventive manners which had not previously been explored. Initially they were converted into temporary shelters, yet they were to evolve into large scale facilities to aid the movement of captured Iraqi troops. Air vent were cut into the structures to aid the air flow within the container and there were no cases of ill health as a result of this.

Due to North American reliance on importing many items which they are dependent on, there is a great abundance of storage containers within the area. The main reason for this is that it is incredibly expensive to return empty containers back to their origins. As a result, innovative ways of utilising the containers are being employed and in many ways are providing an example to the rest of the world.

Much research has been conducted into the varying designs of refrigerated contains, but essentially there are two standard types which are commonly in use today.

The first are Conair containers which are also known as Porthold Refrigerated Containers or simply Insulated Containers . These are without their own specific refrigeration facility and are dependant on streams of cool air entering the container from its surroundings. External refrigeration units therefore have to be employed with these containers and these could be permanently situated in within the ship, added to the terminal or manually attached to the required container.

The second type are commonly known as integral refrigerated containers – these do have an internal cooling system built into them which are supported by a three phrase electricity supply.

The vast majority of statistical data which refers to these types of containers makes reference to the term “TEU”. This represents “twenty foot equivalent unit” and represent a container which is 20’. It is logical therefore that the unit 2 TEUs highlights a container which is 40’ – although you should be aware that the term FEU is used to represent this.

The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners announced a hike in container fees on March 18. Shippers are just awaiting a verdict on when & by how much the hike will be. Projected as a ‘green’ measure, the hike is apparently aimed at raising funds for pollution reduction projects initiatives as well as improving infrastructure.

‘The Maritime Air Quality Policy’ statement was unanimously passed by appointed commissioners. Shippers urged them to resist a strategy, which they characterised as misguided. “Shippers have shown willingness to pay a fair share of the cost of improving infrastructure and air quality in the ports,” stated senior vice president, govt. relations for the National Retail Federation (NRF) Steve Pfister. He added: “We cannot support proposals, which would be illegal, unfair, & ultimately ineffective.”

Released exactly a year ago, the plan was jointly prepared by the American Association of Railroads, NRF, the Waterfront Coalition, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and other groups that are involved in the cargo shipment through California ports. “While the fees address just California ports, they’re of interest to retailers nationwide since those ports act as the gateway for the majority of merchandise - imported from Asia,” stated Pfister.