Thinking inside the box to advance global trade

Global trade has been propelled by many forces over the years. One of the most important has been the use and implementation of ocean freight containers. The scope of these 3-dimensional boxes designed to carry goods from one location to the next goes farther than the eye can see. In 1965, dock workers could load less than 2 tons onto cargo ships. Just 5 years later, port crews could load 30 tons in an hour using containers. Shipping containers revolutionized efficiency at ports. They sped up the process of unloading ships and minimized the occurrence of theft by port workers. Containers contributed to sizable port growth in addition to reducing the cost of transporting goods.

Global trade took off in the nearly 20 years between 1966 and 1983, and so did the number of countries using ocean containers. While only 1% of countries were using containers in the mid 1960's, that number rose to 90% by the early 1980's. Not only did the ocean freight community embrace the invention of containers, but containers also became instrumental in shipping via rail transport. Between rail and ocean freight shipments, containers reshaped global trade and strengthened industrialization in growing economies.  Source: The Humble Hero