Keeping it fun and simple in this blog where we’ve listed some interesting facts about international shipping and logistics, that you may or may not have already known about.
Did You Know?
- The first container ship, called the Ideal-X, set sail in 1956 after leaving the Port of Newark, New Jersey to its destination, the Port of Houston, Texas. The ship was carrying 58 truck-trailers on its custom-built deck.
- In terms of cargo tonnage, the Port of Shanghai was the busiest port in world last year. With container volume at the port exceeding 49 million TEUs (twenty-foot-equivalent units), a 1.7 million TEU increase from 2022.
- All U.S. imports are 100 percent screened, however, only three percent of ocean freight is actually physically inspected by Customs and Border Protection. In regards to truck freight, 24 percent is physically inspected, along with 90 percent of rail freight being inspected.
- The maritime industry employs millions of people around the world, which makes sense as the industry plays a crucial part of the movement of goods around the world.
- Many maritime expressions have turned into everyday sayings. For instance, “all hands on deck”, a popular play on words, has a nautical origin.
- Various ships have different sizes and carrying capabilities but, some of the largest container ships can carry over 21,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers into ports throughout the world.
- The maritime industry is highly regulated by agencies like the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO sets standards for safer/secure, efficient and more environmentally friendly shipping.
- Slow and steady wins the race… the engine on a container ship has much more power than a typical family car, but on average these ships are only able to travel 26.5 miles per hour.
- According to records, the first ship to cross the Panama Canal was the SS Ancon. This ship played a vital role in building the Panama Canal by ferrying workers, construction materials, and large amounts of cement from New York to Panama helping construct the Canal.
- Some people have flipped shipping containers into homes. Check out this blog for more details.
Looking Ahead
Hope you enjoyed reading about some interesting facts of the shipping industry, and perhaps learned something new.
Should you have any questions regarding this, please reach out to our team today.
Additionally, we have our weekly market updates that can provide you with relevant freight news, updates, developments across the industry, and more.