1956 2006
Shipping container patented In 1956 , US logistician Malcolm McLean patented his ‘ intermodal shipping container ’. McLean ’ s invention would go on to revolutionise sea , road and rail transport , as well as international trade . Containerisation led to massive savings on freight transport , by removing the need for multi-staged handling of individual cargo items , and cut inventory costs by shortening transit time .
Maersk Triple E Class This remains the world ’ s biggest container ship . Triple E stands for Economy of scale , Energy efficiency , and Environmentally improved . It has a capacity of 18,000 twentyfoot equivalent unit ( TEU ), which is a unit of cargo capacity used for container ships based on a typical 20-foot container .
2010
Largest bulk carrier launched A bulk carrier — or bulker — is a merchant ship designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo , such as grains , coal , ore , steel coils or cement . The first super-bulker was MS Vale Brasil , which was launched in 2010 . It can carry 440,000 tons of dead-weight cargo .
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