8 Awesome Facts About Shipping Containers

8 Awesome Facts About Shipping Containers

It’s no secret that there is a shipping container crisis going on after the turmoil of the pandemic, the increase in online shopping, and the rising demand for faster shipping times. Workers can’t keep up, and shipping containers are stuck at sea.


Before the crisis, many probably didn’t even realize how crucial the humble shipping container is to our everyday lives. This simple rectangular metal box is responsible for protecting the goods we depend on every day as it travels thousands of miles across the world’s mighty oceans.


That’s why in this post, we pay tribute to the shipping container by sharing 8 interesting facts about how it makes the global supply chain possible.


1. Do you know how many shipping containers are in rotation right now? Currently, around 17 million are circulating the globe, with approximately 5 million of those active.


2. The busiest port in the world is the Port of Shanghai, handling over 33 million containers in 2013.


3. This is cool…a 40 ft shipping container can squeeze in around 8,000 shoe boxes at a single time!


4. With millions of shipping containers traveling all over the place, it’s inevitable that some will, unfortunately, get lost. In fact, it’s estimated that around 612 are lost at sea each year.


5. Shipping containers aren’t used just for logistics. Creative individuals turn them into works of art, and some people even build tiny houses out of them to live in. Other ideas include businesses, workshops, restaurants, or storage space.


6. How far does a single shipping container travel? It’s been estimated that one can make as many as 200 million trips in its lifetime.


7. How about this…if you lined up all of the shipping containers end to end to make a chain, it would wrap around the earth two times!


8. A shipping container may look simple, but if maintained properly can last up to 20 years.


True Carriers Group is a non-asset based group of carriers that has been helping drive America’s supply chain for over 40 years. We offer a full range of logistics services, including Intermodal, Reefer, Van, Flatbed, Brokerage, LTL and Heavy Haul.

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