| Containerization is an efficient method of moving | | | | the newly built railways. |
| goods either inland, overseas or across national | | | | With more and more cargo being shipped it was |
| borders. The goods are put in large intermodal | | | | recognised that a successful containerization system |
| containers, sometimes known as freight and shipping | | | | needed a degree of standardisation to ensure |
| containers that can be carried by road, train or on | | | | containers could be used by different carriers. By the |
| ships. The system is extremely flexible as the shipping | | | | 1920s the British rail system introduced the Railway |
| units can be switched from freight lorry to railway to | | | | Clearing House, leading to the birth of the RCH |
| ship without having to be unloaded. This is done by | | | | container which could be carried by the various rail |
| special cranes and saves greatly on labour costs. | | | | companies in the country. The United States followed |
| The success of modern containerization has been | | | | a similar course with the various rail networks |
| greatly helped by the setting of standards that allow | | | | introducing a standard unit,leading to the birth of the |
| container freight to be shipped all around the world. | | | | boxcar. |
| These standards have been set by the International | | | | The move towards what would eventually become |
| Organization for Standardization - the ISO. Units that | | | | standard containerization throughout the world was |
| meet these standards are often referred to as ISO | | | | sparked by the American military. The Department of |
| containers. | | | | Defense introduced standard sized units to improve |
| Containerization has greatly helped world trade as it | | | | the loading of ships. The American military called them |
| simplifies the movement of goods around the world | | | | transporters, and they could carry anything up to 9,000 |
| and makes the carriage of freight much easier and far | | | | lbs. |
| more cost effective than it used to be. Because the | | | | By the early 1950s the Danes had begun to use |
| use of standard freight units has made transportation | | | | special ships to carry containers. The Americans |
| of cargo much cheaper this has had a hugely | | | | followed suit and the worlds first specially adapted |
| beneficial effect on world markets and has done much | | | | container ship, the Clifford J Rodgers, was introduced. |
| to help trade between nations. | | | | The introduction of containerization worldwide was |
| The use of shipping containers pre-dates the twenty | | | | helped by a series of standards set by the ISO |
| first and even the twentieth centuries. During the late | | | | between 1968 and 1970. The extent that modern |
| 18th century coal was loaded into transportation boxes, | | | | containerization has revolutionised world trade is |
| the forerunner of the modern container, before being | | | | demonstrated by the statistic that 90 per cent of |
| moved by canal boat. And by the 1830s containers, | | | | non-bulk cargo travels around the world in shipping |
| very small by today's standards, were being carried on | | | | containers. |