Get your instant quote for more than 250K ocean freight rates
Already have an account? Login
Shipping and ocean freight is one of the oldest industries in the world. It began thousands of years ago when seafarers traded simple items such as food and jewels. Today, it remains one of the leading forms of transportation, contributing to 90% of the global trade. Variations of maritime transport including door-to-door services have since emerged to better cater to shippers.
2016 marks the 60th anniversary of the modern container shipping industry. It started in 1955 when a trucking entrepreneur from North Carolina by the name of Malcolm P. McLean bought a steamship company. His intention was to transport entire containers of trucks instead of having to load and unload them individually. He also invested in an oil tanker, the Ideal X, and modified it to hold the containers. On April 26th 1956, the Ideal X departed New Jersey for Houston, marking the first ever journey of a shipping container.
#INFOGRAPHIC: Celebrate 60 years of modern container #shipping with 13 curious facts about the industry! 🚢 https://t.co/hvQ6lRGEM9 pic.twitter.com/nWExUxIS8Y
— iContainers (@icontainers) October 14, 2016
To commemorate the 60th anniversary, our team at iContainers has created a list of curious fun facts about the shipping industry with an infographic. Enjoy!
"Customs duties play an important role in your international shipment. How they're determined and calculated varies from country to country"
Klaus Lydsal, vice president of operations at iContainers