Happy 50th Birthday, Big Metal Boxes!!!

Fifty years ago today, the age of containerization began.

Here's how Marc Levinson, author of "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger," described the impact of the event in an excellent column in yesterday's Financial Times:

news.ft.com/cms/s/8c05da96-d3f7-11da-b2f3-0000779e2340.html/

It may not be printed in red on your calendar, but April 26 is an important date in economic history. Fifty years ago, the Ideal-X, a war-surplus oil tanker with a steel frame welded above its deck, loaded 58 aluminium containers at a dock in Newark, New Jersey. Five days later, the ship steamed into Houston, Texas, where trucks took on the metal boxes and carried them to their destinations.

This was the beginning of the container revolution. By dramatically lowering freight costs, the container transformed economic geography. Some of the world's great ports - London and Liverpool, New York and San Francisco - saw their bustling waterfronts decay as the maritime industry decamped to new locations with room to handle containers and transport links to move them in and out. Manufacturers, no longer tied to the waterfront to reduce shipping costs, moved away from city centres, decimating traditional industrial districts. Eventually, production moved much farther afield, to places such as South Korea and China, which took advantage of cheap, reliable transportation to make goods that could not have been exported profitably before containerisation.

Photo: 20-foot (1 TEU) containers stacked in Alameda, California

NOTE: I've created a new group for posting images of containers, container terminals, container ships, and container-based architecture. It's called Big Metal Box. Please join in!

To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and
install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player.

Comments

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

wow... very interesting. I always liked these rectangular pals -even before my International Commerce work-. And I like pallets too -talking logistic materials and tools which make everything easier-, for minimal interior decor they look great. Not simply cool for cargo.

Containers also work great as movable offices. Definitely, one smart invention.

Thanks for the reminder and the info.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Telstar Logistics says:

It's no exaggeration to say that the switch to containerization did for moving atoms what the switch to silicon did for moving digital bits.

I've had many shipping-container-as-backyard-office fantasies. But alas, there's no drive-up access to our yard, so we'd have to crane the thing over our house. And once you do that, the cost becomes prohibitive. *sniff*
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Automatt says:

Shipping containers = packet data of stuff

Nice photo!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Qole Pejorian says:

You may need to copy and paste the link in order to read the full article.

Containerisation is a remarkable achievement. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of its history is that no one foresaw how the box would change everything it touched, from ships and ports to patterns of global trade. Containerisation is a monument to the most powerful law in economics, that of unanticipated consequences.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Dead Slow says:

I heard a story on this on the radio yesterday. Great pic !
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

travísimo says:

Hah, I was just about to mention the FT article (my fav paper!) until I saw you had already mentioned it...
Neat shot.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

K. Mikey M. says:

I love containers so much I bought stock in Mobile Mini. :)
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Dread Pirate Robert says:

I really want to build a house designed out of old shippng containers -- prefab recycled housing! There's a cool link here
.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Telstar Logistics says:

NOTE: I've created a new group for posting images of containers, container terminals, container ships, and container-based architecture. It's called Big Metal Box.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

joshdunford says:

Sweet. We just cut one in half in our studio:

Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

complexify. says:

Very cool. Containerized freight is one of my favorite inventions. Thanks for the invite to the new group!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

_ Krystian PHOTOSynthesis (wild-thriving) _ says:

Thanks for bringing that to my Attention!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

_ Krystian PHOTOSynthesis (wild-thriving) _ says:

Would be great if you kould post a Link to your nice Group in the Ferropool + some Infos to this Invention. Thanks and Greetings.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

My humble contribution!

Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Automatt says:

This would be such a great photo for Container Living, if there were such a magazine.

Stevedor Illustrated?
Metal Box Month?
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Telstar Logistics says:

Box Life!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

Boxing!

uhm... no, that could be confusing...
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

Marshall Astor - Food Pornographer says:

I've just curated a show with 6 artists installing sites specific work in 20 footers. They're awesome inside and out.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

-H- says:

H
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

LucaPicciau says:

Superb reflections!!
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

shanjaq says:

Hooray for Big Metal Boxes!

Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

joshdunford says:

Apparently there's some discussion about the roots of the container. The Port of Vancouver is pining for some credit, and the Scots are claiming that their original cylindrical cans should take the invention prize.
Posted 45 months ago. ( permalink )

merfam says:

Great shot and article.

Check out fabprefab.com, it has tons of links to prefab houses, great photos, and smart ways to use shipping containers.

Enjoy!
Posted 41 months ago. ( permalink )

Val Ann says:

Interesting image and description. Thanks for posting.
Posted 40 months ago. ( permalink )

allysonmmurphy says:

Your headline just made me laugh out loud.
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

Enchanter of Camelot says:

You are invited to add this image to www.flickr.com/groups/containers

please feel free to join
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

nolando says:

cool information - thanks
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )

gcaptain.com says:

But what are they filled with?
Posted 31 months ago. ( permalink )

Automatt says:

The Atlantic Magazine cover this month is a tribute to boxes. I think. Anyway, there's a gazillion of em on the cover.
Posted 31 months ago. ( permalink )

suthnautr says:

These containers are terrific. Everyone says how way over code they are when it comes to strength, and how they're practically indestructible for use in hurricane zones - but they are able to float and I think they'd be great if properly outfitted to work as emergency shelters in flood zones. Really all they would need is properly sealed doors and some method of tethering them beneath to a proper anchor and they would float with a family safe inside. A ladder inside to a hatch on the roof would allow egress for when helicopter rescue or boats arrived, and a ladder on the outside would allow the occupants to safely get down to the waiting boats. One site I think is good in central Florida is www.container-creations.com". Right now they're doing concession stands and press boxes, but they have plans to build office space and other things.

Posted 25 months ago. ( permalink )

Just_Plain_Bobert says:

Nice narration. Nice shot.
Posted 24 months ago. ( permalink )

Would you like to comment?

[?]

	Telstar Logistics' photostream
		9,473 uploads

This photo also belongs to:

	Most Interesting, Says You (Set)
		60 items

	Good on Paper (Set)
		80 items

	Wallpapers (1024x768 minimum) (Pool)
		0

	A Mechanical View (Pool)
		0

	Trucks (of all kinds) (Pool)
		0

	! * FERROPOOL - Industrials, Konstruktionsites & FerroArt * ! (Pool)
		0

	Design Nerds (Pool)
		0

	Big Metal Box (Pool)
		0

33 people call this photo a favorite

Additional Information

Some rights reserved Anyone can see this photo

Taken with a Casio EX-S600.
More properties
Taken on April 12, 2006
Viewed 16,948 times

Add to your map

Yay location removed

...

(Some formats are OK.)

Or, remove it from the map.

Go to the map

You	Sign in \| Create Your Free Account
Explore	Places \| Last 7 Days \| This Month \| Popular Tags \| The Commons \| Creative Commons \| Search
Help	Community Guidelines \| The Help Forum \| FAQ \| Sitemap \| Get Help

Happy 50th Birthday, Big Metal Boxes!!!

Comments

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

Telstar Logistics says:

Automatt says:

Qole Pejorian says:

Dead Slow says:

travísimo says:

K. Mikey M. says:

Dread Pirate Robert says:

Telstar Logistics says:

joshdunford says:

complexify. says:

_ Krystian PHOTOSynthesis (wild-thriving) _ says:

_ Krystian PHOTOSynthesis (wild-thriving) _ says:

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

Automatt says:

Telstar Logistics says:

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

Marshall Astor - Food Pornographer says:

-H- says:

LucaPicciau says:

shanjaq says:

joshdunford says:

merfam says:

Val Ann says:

allysonmmurphy says:

Enchanter of Camelot says:

nolando says:

gcaptain.com says:

Automatt says:

suthnautr says:

Just_Plain_Bobert says:

Would you like to comment?

Tags

Additional Information