Containers are widely used in the transportation of import and export goods, the following is some common sense about container freight:

1. container

The so-called container refers to a large loading container with certain strength, stiffness and specifications for turnover. The use of container transport goods, can be loaded directly in the shipper’s warehouse, shipped to the consignee’s warehouse unloading, halfway to change the car, ship, without taking out the goods from the box for loading. According to the type of goods loaded, there are general cargo containers, bulk cargo containers, liquid cargo containers, reefer containers, etc. According to the manufacturing materials, there are wood containers, steel containers, aluminum alloy containers, glass steel containers, stainless steel containers, etc. According to the structure, there are folding containers, fixed containers, etc., in the fixed container can also be divided into closed containers, open top containers, plate frame containers, etc.; According to the total weight, there are 30 tons of containers, 20 tons of containers, 10 tons of containers, 5 tons of containers, 2.5 tons of containers.

2. container’s overall external dimensions

The maximum length, width and height of the container exterior, including the permanent accessories of the container. It is the main parameter to determine whether the container can be changed between the ship, chassis, freight car and railway vehicle. It is an important technical data that all transportation departments must master.

3. container’s internal dimensions

Maximum length, width, and height dimensions inside a container. The height is the distance from the bottom panel to the bottom of the top panel, the width is the distance between the two inner lining panels, and the length is the distance between the inner panel of the door and the end wall lining panel. It determines the maximum size of the container and the contents of the container.

4. container’s unobstructed capacity

The loading capacity calculated by the dimensions inside the container. The same specification of containers, due to the difference in structure and manufacturing materials, its internal volume is slightly different. Container content volume is an important technical data that the material department or other packers must master.

5.twenty-feet equivalent units (TEU)

Also known as 20-foot conversion unit, it is a conversion unit for calculating the number of container boxes. At present, most container transportation in various countries uses two kinds of containers, 20 feet and 40 feet long. In order to unify the calculation of the number of containers, the 20-foot container is taken as one unit of calculation, and the 40-foot container is taken as two units of calculation to facilitate the unified calculation of the operating volume of containers.

6. container leasing

That is, a business in which the owner rents empty boxes to users. The owner of the container is the leasing party of the container, and the user, generally the shipping company or the owner of the cargo, is the leasing party, and the two parties sign a leasing contract. The lessor shall provide qualified containers to the lessee for use within the agreed scope. Container leasing, there are a variety of different ways in the world, including: trip leasing, time leasing, demand leasing and navigation area.

7. container terminal

It is the specific handling department of container transportation, container or cargo loading and unloading exchange custody. It is entrusted by the carrier or its agent to carry out the following business:

• Exchange and custody of FCL freight;
• If there is a container freight station, handle the transfer of LCL cargo;
• Arrange the berthing of container ships, load and unload containers, and prepare stowage plans for each voyage;
• Handling of processing of freight documents;
• To compile and sign and inspect relevant documents relating to the import, export and circulation of the means of transport used by containers;
• Handle the inspection and maintenance of containers, transport vehicles and loading and unloading tools, as well as the cleaning and fumigation of empty containers;
• Sending, receiving, storing and keeping empty containers;
• Arrange the stacking of empty and heavy containers in the yard, and prepare the site allocation plan;
• Other related business work.

The container handling area generally consists of a dedicated dock, front, storage yard, freight station, control tower, repair department, gate and office. Sometimes a transfer station such as a storage yard or freight station can extend to the inner city of 5-15 km.

8. marshalling yard

It refers to the place where containers are temporarily stacked in front of the container terminal in order to speed up ship loading and unloading operations. Its function is: when the container ship arrives at the port, the export containers are neatly stacked according to the stowage requirements in a planned order, and the import containers are temporarily stacked in front of the dock when the ship is unloaded to speed up the loading and unloading operation of the ship.

9. container yard

A place where heavy or empty containers are handed over, kept and stored. Some countries do not divide the container yard into the front yard or the rear yard, collectively referred to as the yard. The storage yard behind the container is a component of the container handling area. It is the place for the transfer of the full container cargo in the “field to site” handover mode of container transportation (in fact, it is transferred at the “gate” of the container unloading area).

10. Empty container Yard (van pool)

A special site for the collection, storage, storage or handover of empty containers. It is designed for use when there is a shortage of container handling areas or storage yards at transfer stations. This kind of storage yard does not handle the transfer of heavy containers or goods. It can be operated separately, or it can be set up outside the district by the container handling area. In some countries, the operation of such empty container storage yards requires a declaration to the Conference of Shipping.

11.container depot or inland depot

A transfer station or distribution center for container transportation outside the seaport. Its role is the same as the container handling area business, except for the loading and unloading operations without container dedicated ships. The measurement of transit stations or inland stations, including urban transit stations at container handling ports, inland cities and inland ports.

Article from M&J International Trading Co., Ltd