Happy 61st birthday: how the humble container changed the world

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By Alex Lennane

26/04/2017

Sixty-one years ago today, the humble container was first launched, changing the way goods were distributed and arguably bringing about true globalisation. As this nice little piece by Tuscor Lloyds notes, its first journey was on a converted World War 2 tanker – SS IdealX – out of New Jersey. Shipping times from Europe to Australia have more than halved since then, from 70 days to 34 days. And the author asks – was the container the last big innovation in shipping, or is there more to come?

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containers Tuscor Lloyds Drewry equipment surplus Textainer

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