It has been revealed by the Panama maritime authority that they expect that the country’s volume of shipping containers to experience a marked increase over the next twelve months. The authority forecast that this could be as much as ten percent of the current levels despite the global credt crunch which is affecting so many nations.

At the moment, the authority has stated that ports within Panama operate by handling just over five million, twenty foot shipping containers and this is to be increased to five and a half million by 2009.

The country has already seen marked growth in the shipping container industy over the last twelve months with the number of structures rising by over one and a half millin since 2007.

This has resulted in the main from an increase in demand for raw materials from the Chinese, coupled with the developing export market in finished goods.

The whole of the Latin America region is experiencing a massive growth within the industry and as a result vast amounts of money are being invested into the infrastructure to support this. Over $1.6m has already been spent on developing shipping facilities within Panama and this sends clear signals that the industry within the region is here to stay.

Many shipping containers are made from steel or aluminium, and certainly in the early days of mass shipping these were the favoured materials used. However as things have progressed, different techniques and materials have been developed to satisfy the massive demand for the structures.

Although there are several variations to how the structures are built, there is one common method which is commonly adhered to.

The majority of new shipping containers are now made from a type of steel called Corten which has the advantage of not being as liable to rust as traditional steel.

The traditional steel frame which has been fitted with eight corner castings to help support the weight, are filled with high strength steel panels which are commonly between one and a half to three millimetres thick.

Present at one of the ends is two regualr sized doors which are put in place using four locked bars which connect the bottom to the top of the frame.

It is very common that shipping containers embody a twenty seven millimetre thick wooden ply flooring, which is held in place by crossbearers which are roughly twelve inches apart. Under normal circumstances this would mean that the container can withstand weights of between twenty and thirty five tons – this is obviously dependant on the size involved.

American members of the Container Shipping Information Service will be celebrating National Maritime Day tomorrow and plan to increase the awareness of the important role played by the structures, by asking people to imagine daily life without the products which are transported to them by these. This is sure to press home how much we all rely of the shipping industry and in many ways represent the structures which our lives depend on.

National Maritime Day was declared in the US seventy five years ago and provided an opportunity for the country to recognize the importance of the industry.

It is a striking fact that trade conducted with other countries represents a quarter of the American GDP, and yet the industry is relatively unknown to the average person in the street. Many people assume that products just arrive on shelves within the supermarkets without actually realising the vast journey which they have made for our consumption.

When National Maritime Day was declared back in 1933, the aim was to increase the awareness of the international shipping industry. However, it could never have been predicted that the industry would grow so quickly in a relatively short period of time, to the extent that we can now enjoy almost any product in the world at fairly cheap prices.

If you mention the words “shipping containers” to the average person in the street, then the image which will be generated probably will not be one of prestige or elegance. This is because they are mainly used within the merchant shipping industry and are generally thought to only embody a narrow range of uses.

However, in downtown Ottawa this is exactly the image which the containers are conveying, and this has furthered the increasing trend in using these structures in an eclectic manner of ways.

The Arts Council has commissioned a fifty thousand dollar pavilion to be erected, constructed from shipping containers. At the moment the exact location of this feature is unclear, however it has been indicated that the preferred site is within the vibrant Daly Avenue area.

The pavilion will embody an art gallery, an artist’s studio as well as a performance area and is thought to only take around a month to complete. The pavilion is set to become a major focal point within the cultural community of Ottawa and provide tourists with a wide range of local events.

Architects have suggested that the building will be two storeys and will utilise four containers as a result. The exterior of the building is sure to be vibrant and creative as a graffiti artist has been commissioned to complete this work.

This further exemplifies the diversity which shipping containers generate in terms of their usage.

The merchant shipping industry is one of the largest and most lucrative in the world. We all rely on this industry to provide us with many of the products which play a pivotal role in our day to day lives.

As we have previously explored, products are stored within large shipping containers and transported around the world until they reach their destination. But what happens when the size of the cargo which requires to be shipped, is larger than the actual container? Obviously the size and weight constrictions within the shipping industry are much more lenient in comparison to transportation via land or air, yet there are some situations where even this are not enough.

In these circumstances, then the products can be transported via platforms, open top containers and flat racks which maximise the area available. Additionally, there are certain types of merchant ships termed “roll-on / roll-off” vessels which employ ramp systems and easily allow the containers to be placed onboard the ship and unloaded following the journey. These are most commonly utilised during fairly short distances of transportation, due to the fact that they are not able to hold the high volumes of containers which can be accommodated on crane based ships.

RORO’s place at the heart of the merchant shipping industry is assured, as their high speeds and adaptability render them indispensable.

Shipping containers which are used to transport cargo throughout the world are design to withhold a high magnitude of wear and tear. This relates to both the transportation of goods and the forces of nature which affect them when left out in the open. To this end, all shipping containers are created to withstand constant usage – as soon as one shipment has arrived at it’s destination, the container should be ready to progress with another job.

Such is the durability of modern shipping containers, they should last almost an infinite amount of time, if the process of transportation is conducted within suitable guidelines.

However, this is not always possible. In certain situations the amount of money which is involved in moving a used container from it’s previous destination, to the location of a new consignment, is actually greater than the value of the container itself. As a result therefore, it is common for new containers to be purchased and therefore minimising the cost of transporting the structure to the required starting destination.

This has meant that there are vast areas in some ports, which are flooded with empty shipping containers that have been left there after their last transportation. Sometimes these are utilised within the architecture of other container structures, or the steel from them is recycled for use in unrelated products.

Very rarely, shipping containers have been known to slip off the ships which are carrying them. This usually happens during very inclement weather and in particular during storms and high winds which create the conditions where the containers are most likely to become unstable and fall overboard. According to statisticians, it is thought that over ten thousand containers are affected by this each year and are therefore considered to be lost at sea.

In one incident during November 2006, a shipping container became dislodged and was carried to an area near North Carolina. The container was transporting thousands of packets of tortilla crisps, and once locals heard about the event, made their way to the scene and tried to hoard the products.

The shipping containers which do fall victim to the elements are not guaranteed to sink and many such items float for many miles at a time. However, it is uncommon that the containers float on the surface of the water which is blessing as this would make them a potential danger which is incredibly hard to detect.

Following on from this, it is an interesting fact that the cargo which has been lost as part of this process, does provide oceanographers with much empirical information in their quest to track worldwide ocean currents.

Last year, the World Shipping Council, together with the International Chamber of Shipping started to compile a standardised code of practice relating to shipping containers. As part of this, the issues surrounding stacking methods, educating crew with regard to parametric rolling, security of cargo held above-deck and container marking were all considered.

“Shipping” refers to the process of physically transporting cargo and goods – usually contained within shipping containers. The influence which the shipping industry has on our day to day lives is almost infinite as the vast majority of products which we rely on are in some way affected by this process.

All products are shipped in one of three ways – either by land, by sea or by air.

If transporting products by land, then this is usually conducted either by lorry or train. The preferred method is trucking, and even sea and air shipments will require a certain amount of land transportation in order for the products to be moved from their origin to relevant internal locations. Transportation via land is generally cheaper than air shipping and is heavily utilised within Britain for domestic trips.

Land transportation is also the primary method of moving goods from the shipper to the required destination in a direct manner – this is known as “door to door shipment”.

Yet, with Britain representing an island nation, it is easily comprehendible that there will be a heavy reliance on shipping conducted via sea. Further to this, the merchant shipping industry is a major contributor to the world economy, due to the fact that this is the primary method in which trade is conducted internationally. Some of the ships which are utilised in this manner represent the most lavishly expensive vehicles currently in operation, as well as highlighting the most cost effective way to ship cargo overseas. Their sheer size means that the amount of shipping containers which can be accommodated within the vehicles is of great advantage to many suppliers, as well as the fact that weight constraints are substantially reduced compared to other methods of shipping.

The only real drawback in employing this method of transportation is time – transporting cargo by sea generally takes longer than by air for example, and this is a factor which you will need to consider before deciding which method to utilise.

Transportation via air is generally confined to products which rely on reaching their destination quickly. However, there are numerous constraints which are associated with this type of shipping, these include weight, size and quantity. As a result therefore, the type of products which can be shipped in this manner is restricted.

While purchasing a second-hand or new container, you need to keep in mind quite a few things. You need to evaluate and consider following aspects:

• Colour: Is colour an important consideration to you? The answer maybe both yes and no! You may get it coated later, and in that case, colour won’t be such as an issue. A credible container vendor will be able to spray your chosen container with the colour you want. Alternatively, you can get a dark shade-finish container.
• Quality: It’s very important to see how damaged or dented is the container (if second-hand), which you are planning to buy. You can take stock of the container damage by carefully examining the unit. Do not forget to survey the roof as well. It can catch your unawares later, as you could discover rust patches as well as dents, which are less apparent or visible from inside.
• Doors: You should inspect the doors with care. Look for rust and also check that the locking bars functions well.
• Storage versatility and capability: You may prefer to specify a new or not-so-old container, whether you’re leasing or buying, if the goods you plan to store are sensitive.

Shipping containers are broadly made in two standard lengths –20ft and 40ft. The width of shipping containers is generally maintained at 8ft (external measurement) whereas their height is about 8ft 6in (giving an internal height of roughly 8ft). Exceptionally, you may go for (buy or lease purpose) a ‘high cube’ container that is extra 1ft high, thus giving an internal height of about 9ft.

For the 20ft container, the metric measurements are usually 6.1m long x 2.4m wide x 2.59m high. This gives a capacity of roughly 39 cubic metres. For site storage these (containers) are often halved; the size being about roughly 10ft long or often even smaller units (lengths of 5ft or 6ft). The smaller containers are more convenient to store as well as transport.

Most specifications, you would notice, are in imperial measures. This is so since the world shipping industry specifications were set before metrification became a norm and remained so. References to TEU indicate ‘20ft equivalent units’ so that any 40ft container equates 2 TEU etc. This term is often used to denote the actual capacity of a port or a container ship.