Shipping Containers Blog

Posts Tagged ‘40ft containers’

Apparently the shipping container came about due to the fact that an American trucker, Malcolm McLean, whilst queuing at Jersey City Pier in 1937, realised that it would be quicker to have the whole truck body lifted onto the ship.   18 years later, he decided on the strength of that light-bulb moment, he bought a war-surplus tanker and equipped it to carry 33 ft containers.

In truth, ship lines and railways had been experimenting with containers for over half a century before 1937 but it took someone with the insight of McLean to realise that the real issue was making the transportation of cargo inter-modal - ie in a standard sized container that could move between rail, road and sea transport without the need for lots of manpower and many different sized machines.  The standard sized shipping containers meant that the prices of moving goods could be brought down and as a result the cost of many things became more affordable - and more varied - to the customer.

Today, the standard sizes of shipping containers are 40ft and 20ft containers.   There are other sizes available such as 8ft and 10ft but these are less common and often more expensive to transport - particularly by sea. 

Many ports were developed as a result of shipping containers - such as Felixstowe in Suffolk - able to take advantage of cheap land and good transport links.   Nowadays one-and-a-half million 40ft containers arrive at ports throughout the world each week.

One of the by products of this amount of containers is the market for second hand used containers.   The excess containers at ports are used for domestic storage, shipping container conversions such as offices and accommodation - even for housing data centres.

Whether or not there is any truth in Malcolm McLean’s “eureka” moment it certainly has had a big impact on all our lives.

Like most shipping containers, refrigerated containers are available for hire.   Christmas time with many suppliers needing additional storage is the most popular time period for refrigerated container hire.   Perhaps this is not surprising given all the traditional goodies from turkeys to cheese, smoked salmon to luxury icecreams that we eat during the holiday period.   Supermarkets and small producers in keeping up with this demand, hire the refrigerated containers between October to January just to fill orders.

Refrigerated containers are ideal as they are easily transportable and can be set at any temperature between -20C to +20C.   Most require 3 phase electricity although they can be run off diesel fuelled generators or “gen-sets”.  The most common sizes are 20ft and 40ft containers.

For those who have never hired a refrigerated container before there are a few important points to remember.  

• The length of the hire has an impact on the weekly rental cost of the container itself - normally there is a minimum hire period of at least 4 weeks - with the longer the period of hire being the most economic.   This is partly due to the fact that the refrigerated container itself needs a pre-trip inspection (PTI) by a refrigeration engineer which ensures that the container itself will be in good running condition prior to being delivered.
• Haulage.  Most hires require that the cost of the haulage from the depot to the delivery site as well as the cost of the haulage back from the delivery site to the depot is paid in advance.   This acts as a guarantee that should the customer default on payment the container can be collected.
• Breakdown.   In case of the unit failing, breakdown cover should be provided as part of the hire contract.   The speed of this is important as you don’t want to be left with a whole load of frozen turkeys defrosting at the beginning of December.

For those of you considering hiring a refrigerated container for Christmas it would be a good idea to start looking for a company to supply this now if you have not done so already.   Many companies have already hired out most of their containers and may therefore be unable to help.

Second hand 10ft refrigerated container

If you are considering buying a 10ft refrigerated container the following facts may be useful:-

INTERIOR

    Length        245cm    Width         224cm    Height        222cm

    Cubic Capacity 13 cu m

    Door opening width 224cm      Door opening height 218cm

    Tare weight 1500kgs     Max gross weight 15000kgs

    Pallet capacity 5 to 6 depending on type

 EXTERIOR

    Length  300cm      Width  243cm      Height 259cm

The downside of 10ft containers is that they are normally more expensive than the more widely available 20ft and 40ft containers as they are not built in such numbers and do not have such a demand in the commercial marketplace.

Here at CS Shippng Containers we have been missing the Olympics. Susan, who handles the logistics side of the business has, in particular, been missing the swimming. So, at coffee we got talking about the recent posts we have filed about shipping containers being converted into all sorts of amazing things and linked it to the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London.

Apart from her talents in keeping calm and organising everybody so your cargo containers get to where they are meant to, on time and in the right conditition, Susan is an amazing artist. It didn’t take her long to come up with these 3 simple and fun ideas.

OK. We admit none of this is very likely, but it does make the point that, as our previous posts show, 20ft or 40ft containers are very versatile - not only as a source of inspiration for Susan!

North Sea Oil Rigs had been using shipping containers for offshore accommodation for sometime when, shortly after the Falklands War, the British Army decided to rent what became known as the Coastel.  This in effect comprised of shipping containers that had been installed onto barges to provide floating accommodation - in this case in Stanley Harbour.

But there have been other examples of how shipping containers - or iso containers as they are known in the Army - have been used in the operational field.  In the Gulf War when the Allied Forces arrived in Saudi Arabia accommodation was very limited.  In fact the only shelter available was in warehouse and the shipping containers that were already in the port.  The 20ft and 40ft containers were quickly put to use as secure containers to store arms and ammunition as well as stores.  Many were converted into temporary offices and living quarters.

In Bosnia and Kosovo shipping container conversions were delivered as living accommodation, bedrooms and bathrooms to nearly all the camps.  The US Army uses similar conversions throughout Iraq today and the Australian Army even has Medical Operating Theatres in shipping containers which they move to wherever they are needed.

Who says that shipping containers don’t get everywhere?

Many Shipping Container Conversions are based around finding additional space for sport.   Be it for storing equipment, for clubhouses or for changing rooms the versatile nature of the shipping container and the fact that it can be easily transported - and quickly assembled - on site means that it is ideal for a variety of problems that may face either the individual, team, club or school.

The most simple of conversions is that of sports storage.   Often this involves nothing more than fitting out the container with shelves or racks to hold the equipment for the particular sport involved.   This make take the form of bicycle racks, canoe/boat racks or shelves for PE kit with cupboards underneath for balls, nets etc.   Containers have also been fitted with ramps so that they can be used to store specialist wheelchairs.  The real advantage that having the storage within a container is the fact that it can be placed easily on sleepers - or a concrete pad - on the side of the sports fields, by the river/lake and still provide secure, self sufficient storage.  Of course these storage container conversions can also be tailored  further to include lighting and heating, and often include a side personnel door for ease of access. 

Shipping Container Used as Sports Storage

But storage is only the beginning of what a shipping container can be used for in the sporting world.   Changing rooms and clubhouses are also very popular conversions.   A number of shipping containers - 20ft or 40ft containers - can be joined together in various formations to allow for multiple changing rooms -with shower/toilet facilities - as well as kitchens, rooms for referees and match officials and even meeting rooms.   The advantage of using shipping containers in this particular application over the more traditonal construction methods is the speed of which they can be assembled on site.   Even allowing for insulation, lighting, heating, plumbing and the assembly of the containers, these conversions can often be assembled in one day, and at a third of the cost.

What is important if you are thinking of a major conversion such as a clubhouse is that you carefully consider the layout of the containers.   Most shipping container companies should be able to advise you - and even produce CAD drawings - for you to consider. 

Mind you, while we are on the topic of shipping containers, I did mention in a previous article the use of shipping container walls as an easy way of producing a windbreak, or as quickly assembled stands in the formation of a sporting stadium.   We have even featured a shipping container converted into a self container pool and used for swimming or surfing against a mechanically induced current.

Next time you see a shipping container on a road, a train or even a ship, don’t just think of them as a means of taking goods cheaply from  A to B, but think of them as a possibility in helping sportsmen and women train and maybe as a helping hand in Britain’s preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Recently there has been a change in the world of shipping containers.   The scarcity of 20ft second hand containers has meant that we are beginnng to see the price of 20ft containers being the same as, or sometimes more than, 40ft containers.  This will come as a surprise to many who think that the price of containers goes up the larger they are!

20ft used shipping container

Storage shipping containers are extremely versatile and are being used by individuals and businesses alike. Shipping containers being used for storage has only really taken off during the last 30 years or so, but now it is extremely common to see them in use as storage containers everywhere from building sites, backgardens or even off shore.

Shipping containers are of a much stronger construction that portacabins or wooden sheds, so it is little surprise that they are being used so much as a means of secure storage. Storage shipping containers differ only from a standard shipping container in so far as it may not be of standard length - often being adapted to be anything from 8ft to 40ft as opposed to the traditional 20ft and 40ft containers that are standard on ships.

Storage shipping containers are often converted to make the organisation of the items stored within easier. Racking - or shelving - is often fitted and can be all metal, all wood or a combination of the two. Cupboards are also often put into the containers. These additions can be done at the depot but there is nothing to stop standard flat pack shelves or cupboards from local DIY store being fitted by the end user. As long as the holes drilled into the container are sealed properly with silicone afterwards so that the container remains wind and watertight home fitted shelving and cupboards are often considerably cheaper.

Another alteration that sets storage shipping containers apart from standard shipping containers are the additions of a lockbox and a heavy duty container padlock. The lockbox is fitted to the double container doors and acts as a shroud for the padlock stopping illegal access from bolt croppers or angle grinders. The padlocks themselves often have hardened steel shackles and are extremely robust.  Together, the construction, lockbox and padlock make it extremely difficult for all but the most determined to break into a shipping container.

People often are concerned about condensation in their storage shipping containers. This can be tackled through the addition of grafo paint to the container ceiling which absorbs moisture or by the simpler method of using moisture traps.  These moisture traps  are used on marine voyages and which absorb up to two-and-a-half litres of moisture keeping the stored goods dry.  They are extremely effective - after all no-one wants to have spent a lot of money to ship cargo half way round the world only for it to arrive ruined!

Storage shipping containers look as though they are here to stay. The fact that they are strong and secure, easily transportable, come in varying sizes and are easily fitted out to hold a variety of goods mean that they are an economic and practical for all sorts of storage needs.

We often get asked how lorries offload shipping containers and why we double check about site access in so much detail.

The truth is that as we are not able to visit each site to see whether or not it is possible to deliver the containers we have to rely on our customers to let us know.   We produce a delivery check list for those who are not sure and will arrange site visits at a small fee if, after sending photographs, the hauler is still uncertain.  This helps to avoid wasted transport fees.

Large lorries equipped with hiabs (cranes) are used to deliver our 20ft and 40ft containers.  They need to deliver from hard standing as otherwise they are prone to sink due to the weight of lorry and container and the recovery costs are astronomical!

The lorries offload the container parallel to the lorry - in otherwise alongside the lorry itself.  They are able to turn 20ft containers through 90 degrees but find this difficult with the larger sized 40fts.

Wherever possible the driver will go out of his way to put the container exactly where the client wants it and tomorrow we will talk about stacking containers and what that involves.

Shipping Containers come in many shapes and sizes and we were discussing in the office the various different preferences there are for containers on a national level.  This inspired Susan to get out her sketch pad and to draw some cartoons to give us a high note to end our week on.

BRECON BEA-CON-TAINER

For example, our enquiries in Wales are often for 10ft containers or insulated containers.  Susan often goes to Wales for inspiration for her painting and is particularly fond of the Brecon Beacons.

LEPRI-CORN-TAINERS

Refrigerated Containers are always in demand in Ireland, often for the fishing industry.  You will have gathered from this particular cartoon that we are very keen on a particular Irish beverage.

BOX NESS MONSTER

Both Susan and I have Scottish parents.  We get asked for a lot of 20ft containers and 40ft containers in the Glasgow area in particular - a fact which always causes debate in the office over football teams as both Susan and I support opposing Glasgow Teams.  Blue is obviously the superior colour no matter what Susan says to the contrary.

Whatever the demand is for shipping containers in whatever part of the UK, CS Shipping Containers are happy to supply them - be they in blue, green,……..or even brown, red etc.!!!