Containerized shipping and integrated transportation

A discussion of the rationale, engineering, and economic developments that led to the increasing adoption of containerized ocean shipping for break-bulk and other dry cargo is presented. The concept of containerized ships, the handling of containers ashore and on board, and their marshalling, control, and consolidation is described, followed by a survey of the requirements for data handling and document control and the effects on the operational and functional sequence of cargo and information flow. The requirements of integrated transportation and the resulting aspects are evaluated.