Real facts about storage containers
As an island nation, the maritime industry and the use of storage containers( shipping containers) is fundamental to our everyday existence. It’s how a lot of things arrive here.
Here’s an example proving the lack of knowledge in the shipping container industry. Seafarers UK conducted a study. This study states that 25% of the children asked identified Captain Jack Sparrow as Britain’s most famous seaman! He’s the fictional pirate…
Fairy tales aside, one of the first things people want to know about our units is ” Is my stuff safe in a shipping container?” There’s no short answer. However, to help dispel some myths we’ve complied a few facts that might be of interest to anyone thinking of using a storage container.
10 things you might not know about storage containers
When it comes to storing business inventory, or personal belongings, there’s no substitute for a few hard facts about using a shipping container for self storage:
- Made in China: The majority of storage containers are manufactured in China. They produce 97% of the world’s dry containers in circulation today.
- 20 year life span: Shipping containers are constructed of approximately two tonnes or Corten steel, giving it a 20 year life span.
- Anti-rust: Corten steel is used because it provides resistance to atmospheric rust.
- From safe hands: The shipping containers that we use set sail from the Port of Shanghai. Which is currently the largest container port in the world. It handles over 730 million tonnes of goods every year.
- Well travelled: To get to the UK our containers will have travelled 11,000 nautical miles over a period of roughly 40 days.
- Waterproof: Our containers will therefore have already survived the Gulf of Aden. This is regarded as some of the most insecure and pirate infested waters of the planet. Then it would have left the Mediterranean, via Gibraltar to then endure the conditions of the Atlantic Ocean.
- One trip: A container is described as a “one trip” in the industry. As a result it’s new when it arrives at it’s destination except for the single trip of getting it there.
- Very, very big: Shipping Xerox copiers, wine and bananas? There are containers for shipping all sorts of cargo. The container type we use has a storage capacity of 1170 ft3. This is equivalent to 1500 cases of coke, 6000 pairs of trainers or 500,000 eggs.
- Safe: The humble shipping container keeps its contents or cargo:
- Safe from the treat of pirates.
- Dry from Atlantic tempest.
- Fit for the shop window( like bananas or electrical goods)
10. Finally, if your reading this on a smartphone, tablet or PC, then it is more than likely they were safely transported here in a shipping container.
