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Standardised shipping containers transformed global maritime trade
Malcolm McLean patented the steel intermodal shipping container system in 1956
American trucking entrepreneur Malcolm McLean developed standard rectangular steel containers that could be loaded seamlessly onto ships, trains, and trucks. Standardisation reduced cargo loading costs from over five dollars per tonne to mere cents while drastically shortening port loading times. This innovation lowered global shipping expenses and accelerated international freight commerce.
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Tags: shipping, containers, logistics
Standardised shipping containers transformed global maritime trade: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Malcolm McLean patented the steel intermodal shipping container system in 1956. The figure is taken from Smithsonian Institution, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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