Container transport, also known as container transportation, is the most important mode of transportation for international trade goods. International standard containers are 8 feet wide, 8 feet high, and 20 feet, 30 feet, and 40 feet long. Container transportation has many advantages, such as easy to port operation mechanization, so as to improve handling efficiency, shorten the time of ship ship in Hong Kong, accelerate the turnover rate, can save packaging costs, reduce damage, and is of benefit to link up the different transport lines and vehicles, to carry out door-to-door transportation etc.. Container transportation started in 30s of this century and developed into postwar. The emergence of marine container transportation has made container transportation flourish. At present, there are hundreds of countries and regions in the world to enter the container transportation network. There are more than 400 container ports and more than 10 thousand berths. According to the relevant data, at the end of 1995, the world container fleet (3000 tons and over, carrying capacity in 150TEU and above) totaled 2092 vessels, carrying capacity of 29 million 700 thousand TEU (standard box). In the same year, the total volume of imports and exports and transit containers of all ports in the world amounted to 142 million TEU, and all major routes have been containerized.
At present, the world major container shipping in the Far East, Western Europe, North America and Australia, the freight volume of the four large area, high level of consumption, suitable for container transportation adequate supply, this coupling in several areas of the container has become the global maritime container shipping lines, they are: North Pacific route, North Atlantic route, the Far East - Europe route (India ocean route).
The North Pacific is composed of the Far North Pacific coast line and the Far East North American the Atlantic sea route. This route in addition to areas near the Pacific coast cargo transport, is also connected to the Atlantic coast of North America, the Gulf of Mexico port and to the Midwest inland transportation, is currently the world's busiest route. Contact the port of the Asia Pacific region in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, Busan, Inchon, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hongkong, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Singapore; Pacific coast of North America Losangeles, Long Beach, Oakland (San Francisco), Seattle, Portland and Vancouver; east coast of North America (including the Gulf of Mexico Houston, New Orleans, Tampa), Jackson Weil, Norfolk, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Halifax, Saint John etc..
The North Atlantic route to the east coast of the United States as the center, consisting of the five Great Lakes between the east coast of North America, northwest Europe, the Mediterranean route, in northwestern Europe, the Mediterranean and Australian region (via India ocean container transportation). Contact the port in Europe - end are Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre, Southampton etc..
The Far East European route links the North American coast of the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to the Far East and the ports of europe.
In addition to the three major container routes, there are the Far East New Zealand route, the New Zealand North America route, and the European, Mediterranean, West African and South African routes. More than six container transportation route connecting the main trade area of the world, a world sea container transportation network skeleton, and its distribution in the world container transportation extension - form global container transportation network. The dry branch network is linked by a transit port.
At present, the world container shipping route transshipment port in the Far East are: Hongkong, Kaohsiung, mainland China, Philippines and Vietnam joined China; Southeast Asia Singapore, connecting Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia; India ocean Socotra, connecting Burma and South Asia, East African coastal countries; on the Mediterranean island of Malta, connecting the Mediterranean and the Black Sea coastal ports; Puerto Rico and Jamaica, connecting the Caribbean, South American countries.