Shipping Containers Blog

Shipping Container Conversions - A Helicopter?

CS Shipping Containers — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:11:55 +0000

A shipping container made into a helicopter? Surely that has to be one of the most amazing shipping container conversions ever? If it is true? We are currently arguing within the office whether this is a spoof or not and if any of you have any ideas after watching the You Tube video embedded here we would grateful for your input. Is this really a genuine use of a used shipping container or not?

Whatever your thoughts, it is certainly a great video to watch. Long live shipping containers!!

Tags: Shipping Container, Shipping Container Conversions, used shipping container

Shipping Container Conversions - Computers 4 Africa

CS Shipping Containers — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:54:50 +0000

SHIPPING CONTAINERS ARE USED AS CLASSROOMS IN AFRICA
CS Shipping Containers are supplying Computers 4 Africa with shipping containers that can be converted into classrooms equipped with computers to give IT skills to people in Africa. Sharon Roberts from Computers 4 Africa said “We are delighted to have this opportunity to be working with CS Shipping Containers”.

CLASSROOM IN A CONTAINER
A major fund-raising campaign has seen over 18 shipping containers being delivered in the last fortnight to the Computers 4 Africa bases in Sheffield and Scotland where they will be converted into classrooms. The second hand shipping containers are a mixture of 20ft and 40ft sizes and will have desks fitted with donated computers, laptops and IT equipment. The corten steel construction of a shipping container means that they are ideal for classrooms as they are strong and secure as well as weatherproof – and, of course, shipping containers can be cheaply shipped and easily transported on by road.

Shippng Containers Housing Computers 4 Africa

Europe has one of the highest ratio of computers to people in the world and over 93% of UK businesses and nearly all households use pc’s or laptops – as opposed to places such as Tanzania where only 6% of the population have access to computers. With the need for constant updating many computers become redundant each year. Computers 4 Africa recycle and send out computers that are no longer needed in Europe and use them to teach IT skills enabling them to get jobs at several times more than the local average pay.

As the fund-raising drive continues Computers 4 Africa will fit out more shipping containers as classrooms in the various regional centres and send them over where they are needed in Africa.

COMPUTERS 4 AFRICA
If you can help by either donation an unwanted PC or IT equipment, Computers 4 Africa will data-wipe and clean them up and send them to Africa where they will transform lives! They ask that the computers are working and less than 5 years old as they need to have a useful service life once they reach their destination. Check out the website for more information – including details of sponsorship packages – and in particular ‘Classroom in a Container’ www.computers4africa.org.uk or call them on 0845 200 8510 if you think you can help.

Tags: second hand shipping containers, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers

Container Conversions - Contained Space Container

CS Shipping Containers — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:40:58 +0000

Shipping Container Conversions are extremely varied and in this case unusual as a 20ft shipping container was converted to train people how to deal with crawling through dark and confined spaces. Catalis are running a course to train individuals working for institutions such as the Water Board to deal with the conditions that they would experience in say, entering the sewage system or large water pipes in cases of emergency or maintenance.

Contained Space Container

The converted container made from a new/once used container is sited at Wandsworth near to the railway where Catalis holds its training sessions. As the course progresses, the trainees are lowered, via a winch, from the roof into the tunnel system within the container. The dark and confined space gives realistic training and can accommodate the use of additional aids such as breathing apparatus.

Winch to lower down trainees into the 20ft container

Shipping Containers with their strong corten steel construction lend themselves to many different - and often bespoke - conversions. Contained, or as they are sometimes known, Confined Space Containers have multiple applications and are often utilised by the fire brigade, oil companies, submariners and even bomb disposal teams as part of their training regime. The system of tunnels within the container can replicate or be designed individually for the customer’s needs.

Tags: 20ft shipping container, catalis, contained space container, container conversions, Shipping Container Conversions

Shipping Containers for Schools - The 8 Most Popular Uses

CS Shipping Containers — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:35:36 +0000

Schools often have a tight budget and shipping containers can prove to be an economic solution. The fact that shipping containers are made from strong, weather resistant corten steel make them ideal for a number of purposes. Add to this that they are by their very construction extremely strong and secure, as well as easily transportable they are ideally suited for the school environment.

The eight most popular uses for shipping containers in Schools are:-

Providing additional storage for items such as chairs, sports equipment etc in all sizes from 10ft to 40ft
Shipping Container Conversions can make great classrooms at about a third of the cost of traditional buiding methods
Changing rooms can be made from 20ft containers and sited next to the sports field
Cycle stores made from used containers
Insulated shipping containers are often used to house musical instruments and additional computer equipment
Recycling/rubbish collection areas
After school clubs/common rooms can be made as a shipping container conversion and are frequently sited in the school car parking area
Chemical stores made from 10ft shipping containers

There are, of course, special considerations to be taken into account when buying and siting a shipping container in school grounds. Not least of these is the need for health and safety which is why it is often worth asking the supplier of the container to deliver it at a time to suit the school timetable. Most will be able to offer time slots early in the morning before the students arrive or whilst lessons are going on.

20ft shipping container conversion

Tags: 20ft shippping container, shipping container conversion, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers, shipping storage containers

Shipping Container Homes - 10 reasons why you should consider them

CS Shipping Containers — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:28:31 +0000

There has been a rise in the number of people that use shipping containers to make houses and other community buildings. Architects have started designing more projects that rely on shipping container conversions for prestigious sites.

But why should you choose a shipping container as the basis for your building?

Shipping Containers are readily available with over a million being released by shipping lines each year
They are ecologically friendly - you would be giving something that is essentially an industrial waste product a new lease of life
Shipping containers are weather resistant being made out of corten steel and having water resistant seams and 27mm marine plywood floors
They can be quickly assembled on site
20ft and 40ft shipping containers can be combined to make larger units quickly and easily
They are structurally very strong - shipping containers are used to support concrete bridges in states such as Utah
Shipping Container conversions can used other recycled materials such as windows and doors
The containers have a good fire resistance rating
The fact that containers are designed for transportation means that they are easy to get onto most sites
On average a shipping container home is 20-50% cheaper than a conventional construction project

In our next post we will look at some shipping container building projects to see just how well containers can be converted and how visually appealing they can be.

Tags: 20ft, 40ft shipping containers, Shipping Container, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers

Shipping Containers - How they can help with the Floods

CS Shipping Containers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:11:12 +0000

What can Shipping Containers do that can help with the flooding?

The floods in Cumbria have meant that many peoples’ homes and businesses are under water. Whilst the situation is still ongoing there is nothing they can do about their possessions but when the rivers eventually subside and repair work is carried out to their property shipping containers are ideal for emergency container storage for their possessions. Guaranteed to be wind and watertight, shipping containers are designed to withstand marine conditions and so are ideal for secure storage. Businesses can hire shipping container conversions in the form of site offices and site accommodation so that they can carry on working.

Many other countries use shipping containers for emergency accommodation and storage. The Red Cross made use of 20ft containers during Hurricane Katrina both as stores and mobile first aid units. Australia and New Zealand have regularly used Shipping Containers to provide shelter in remote areas. The list goes on. The fact is that the extemely robust nature of shipping containers and the fact that they are designed to be easily transported by air, road, sea or rail makes them ideal for many emergency situations.

As the rain is due again this weekend, the news will focus on all those effected and we can only hope that there is as little damage to life and property as possible. In the clear up that follows let us all hope that whatever help is needed is quickly offered - Shipping Containers will no doubt play their part.

Tags: 20ft containers, cumbrian floods, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers, site accommodation, site offices

Shipping Containers - History Part 1

CS Shipping Containers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:22:23 +0000

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.

Tags: 20ft containers, 40ft containers, Shipping Container, Shipping Container Conversions, Shipping Containers

Refrigerated Container Hire at Christmas

CS Shipping Containers — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:42:31 +0000

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.

Tags: 40ft containers, refrigerated container, refrigerated container hire, Refrigerated Containers, Shipping Container, Shipping Containers

10ft Refrigerated Containers

CS Shipping Containers — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:54:27 +0000

10ft refrigerated containers (reefer) are normally exclusively built for the domestic market. They are available both second hand and new. Most 10ft refrigerated containers run off a single phase power supply which makes them ideal for a wide variety of uses. It is, however, possible to get 10fts that utilise a 3 phase supply although these are not as readily available. The 10ft refrigerated containers normally have a solid checker plate rather than a t-bar floor.

There are many additions that you may wish to consider when buying a 10ft refrigerated container such as butchers doors, lighting, curtains, alarms etc. All can be added as per the customer’s requirements.

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.

Tags: 10ft containers, 10ft refrigerated containers, 20ft, 40ft, 40ft container, 40ft containers, Container, Containers, refrigerated container, Refrigerated Containers, Shipping, single phase

Shipping Containers used in installation “The Journey”

CS Shipping Containers — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:04:29 +0000

Last September an exhibition made using shipping containers called “The Journey” was opened in Trafalgar Square. This month this same exhibition opens in the US.

Co-curated by actress Emma Thompson brings the reality of sex-trafficking to public attention. Each of the seven shipping containers shows a different aspect of the life of Elena, a moldovan girl, sold into the sex trade when she was 19.

Shipping Containers are used to house the installation called "The Journey"

The first shipping container is called Hopes, Dreams and Aspirations and shows the naivity of Elena and how she believed the promises of a good job as a receptionist in the UK. From there a dark container filled with repetitive sounds speaks about the monotony and the violence of the journey to England. A third container is called “Uniform” and projects the viewers face onto the bodies of prostitutes to show the lack of identity of sex workers. The bedroom or workplace is featured in the fourth shipping container and the main focal bed is a filthy bed which pulses up and down. The next container is a clean, neutral space with photographs of people and represents “the customer”. A sculpture is in the sixth container which is entitled the void that leads on the seventh and final container called “Language” in which Elena’s voice is played telling her story and that of other trafficked victims.

Emma Thompson met Elena through the Helen Bamber charity of which she is Chairman. “The Journey” says Emma Thompson, contains a message of hope. “It reveals — as I have learned from Elena and other survivors — the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. It shows how, with support and care, these courageous women can rebuild their lives”.

Tags: Shipping Container, Shipping Containers

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