[KAULAYAW SA PAGTUKLAS]

DID YOU KNOW?

The first Intermodal  Ship Container was created by Malcolm Mclean in 1956.

The first intermodal ship container was invented by Malcolm Mclean. It underwent numerous tests and was patented in 1956, thus giving birth to the first ISO container. It was made of steel and stackable. Reinforced corners made it possible to stack the containers without causing damage. They were easy to load, consistent in size, and theft-proof.

Malcolm Purcell McLean was not an ocean shipper but an American businessman and a transport entrepreneur. Born into an underprivileged family, he worked for a few years to buy a used truck and began his career as a road hauler. In 1935, McLean and his brothers and sisters founded McLean Trucking Co. For years, Malcolm wondered how to load his entire cargo onto a shipping vessel as quickly and efficiently as possible.

He began working on the first shipping container with engineer Keith Tantlinger. It was a fantastic invention that reduced wasted space and cut unloading time. As a result of the shipping container, cargo could be transported seamlessly between road, rail, and sea. Before shipping containers, all goods were loaded manually into sacks, barrels, and wooden crates loaded directly onto cargo vessels – known as break-bulk shipping which requires much time.

Thanks to the advent of the shipping container, today’s massive container ships can be loaded and discharged within minimal hours. 

Written by:

M3CL D/C Justine Cafino l LAYAG Contributor

Graphics by:

M3CL D/C Kent Ian Manching l LAYAG Head Graphics and Layout