Container Shipping in Nine Steps

 

Here is a process example of manufactured shoes transported by container shipping.

1. Shoes are manufactured in the domestic factory. Shoe company has a contract with a frieght forwarder and they will manage the total process of shipment.

 2. Cargo including shoes just produced is loaded onto container box, which is bolted shut and fitted with a high security seal. The truck is ready to go to the container shipping port. Unless the customs official decides to inspect inside, it will not be opened until it gets to the destination port.

  3. The freight forwarder determined that the overload transportation is the best way to move the container to the ports. The forwarder has contracted with a container shipping line, who has to submit a documentation called "bill of lading" to get authorization from the exporting and importing countries.








4. Containers from many warehouses are shipped in the container ship and goes to the destination port. The captain of the vessel provides a report to the government of the destination country that contains the information about the ship, its crew and cargo.



5. After the clearance process, the container ship arrives at the port. The ship comes adjacent to large cranes that will be used to unload the containers.







6. Many dockworkers including crane operators, lashers come to the ship. They include crane operators and cargo equipment operators.






7. In some cases, the officials of customs may select specific containers for furthur inspection. The containers being inspected concretely are chosen according to the documentation containing each container's informatiion.

8. Once cleared by customs, workers load the container onto a special truck trailer. Train can also be used for the long distance trip to the destination. The containers are transported to the distribution center.

9. The containers shipped by trucks or trains arrive at the distribution center. Now it is opened for distribution to the individual stores.








Reference : http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/how-liner-shipping-works/the-step-by-step-process

Hanjin Shipping cuts operating loss in Q3 - Korea Times

Hanjin Shipping, the biggest Korean container shipping company, does try to deal with economic recession worldwide.
The total container market is being expanded and the revenue has increased, but Korean leading company recorded the operating loss in container shipping due to an oversupply. They will focus on implementing measures to reduce costs, in order to improve operating margin.

Reference : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2013/12/123_146471.html

Advantage of container shipping

Advantage of container shipping over the other methods

The thing we should notice is the fourth one. Let's compare it with other loads like train and truck and you can see how much cargo at once. The container ship is specialized for mass and long-haul transportation. Barge and VLCC are also types of ships, and VLCC especially functions as the oil tanker so it doesn't threaten the container shipping industry.

Reference : Freight Transportation and Environmental Efficiency, Jean paul Rodrigue, Hofstra University US, 2007

Shanghai port

This is overwhelmingly the world's busiest trading port which handles 32 million containers a year carrying 736 million tonnes of goods to various places around the globe.
With the help of this container handling capacity, China became the world's largest trading nation passing by the United States in 2012.
You can see this fearsome amount of containers organized and stacked on the field. Considering
the size of the container, as big as that of a tolerable bus, I cannot imagine how tremendous the port is.  








In 2012, the total value of Chinese imports and exports recorded $3.87 trillion, compared to the US amount of $3.82 trillion trade.

The port has an area of 3.94 square kilometres - the equivalent of 470 football pitches.

Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2478975/Shanghai-port-worlds-busiest-handles-736m-tonnes-year.html#ixzz2ljA6XezN

Top 20 World Container Ports

Here is the list of top 20 container handling ports from the the Journal of Commerce, August 20, 2012.

The notable thing is that all the top ten ports are in Asia, seven of which are surprisingly those of China. More than half of the container cargos in the world are handled and passed by Chinese and other asian ports.

Busan port, the biggest port of Korea takes over about 17 million TEUs of containers. Shanghai and Singapore recorded more than 30 million TEUs, thanks to the geographical merits and the highly developed port facilities. 


















Reference : http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade/top-50-world-container-ports