Prior to containerisation, all cargoes other than bulk commodities were moved piece by piece. Boxes were loaded one by one on to a truck, which drove to the port, once at the dock each box was individually unloaded and then hoisted into the hold of the ship. At the discharge port the same process was repeated in reverse. Not only was this means of freight handling slow and piece-meal, other modes of transport such as rail basically added to the inefficiency as the cargo had to be man handled all over again. Also, the cargo was often exposed to potential damage and pilferage.

Then one day in 1936 the question was put forward "Wouldn't it be great if my trailer could simply be lifted up and placed on the ship without it's contents being touched?" . Surprisingly, such logic did not come from a Kiwi but an American chap named Malcolm McLean -but it wasn't until 20 years later that the first ship carrying containers, sailed from Newark New Jersey. The year was 1956.

There were several obstacles to overcome before containerisation could be ratified and implemented. At one point McLean approached the U.S railroads and was told his idea had little merit. His efforts were later blocked by the U.S government (due to pressure by railroad lobbyists) but he remained undaunted and invested all his capital into this new venture.

Shipping was seen as a risky business at the time, it involved huge capital investment in new vessels and equipment, which differed radically from the existing ones. Containerisation was a form of automation and consequently numerous jobs were bound to be eliminated. Container ships also needed extensive docking, special shipbuilding and repair facilities. It was the administrator of New York Harbour who recognised the significance of McLean's efforts and supported the idea of building a new kind of port. This eventually led to construction of the world's first container port in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, dedicated exclusively to container ships.

Crucial for true intermodailty was the issue of standardising container sizes and fittings. At the time, vessels were able to carry 226 boxes in "trailerships" which conformed to the maximum length for trailers allowed on the US highways: 35ft long x 8ft wide x 8ft high. Later the standard size agreed upon became the 20ft and 40ft units still in use today. This meant that any box could lock onto any other trailer, ship or other container.

By the early 1970's containerisation was being adopted on a worldwide scale and to date the concept has remained unchanged. New Zealand exporters embraced this technology, particularly the adoption of refrigerated equipment, which afforded their product greater protection and less handling which meant a better out-turn at destination.

how a container ship should not look on arrival !!

Today, ship's such as Maersk Sealand's modern container vessels carry 10 times or more cargo as the old freighters and can be loaded and unloaded in a fraction of the time. It's difficult to see where the next innovation will take us but containers have become so symbolic with ocean freight that it's hard to see a future without them.

That is, of course, if you don't believe in teleporting becoming a reality!

Next month - Cruising holidays on Container Ships.