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Are Folding Containers the Future of Shipping?

Posted by timothy on from the harder-to-turn-into-a-home-though dept.

swellconvivialguy writes "Earlier this year Maersk ordered 20 super-size container ships—each to have '16 percent larger capacity than today's largest container vessel, Emma Maersk.' But instead of embracing the bigger/more-is-better mentality, Staxxon, a NJ-based startup, has engineered a folding steel container (it folds like a toddler's playpen), which is designed to make shipping more efficient by 'reducing the number of container ship movements.' No one has yet succeeded in the marketplace with a collapsible container, but Staxxon has made a point of learning from the mistakes of others."

3 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Tradeoff by PhattyMatty · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Looks like a cool concept, though it looks like it takes much more human contact than regular shipping containers do (when being folded). This could be a problem, as a lot of the bigger shipping yards are automated and/or move containers around using large machines.

    We'll have to see if the increase in human contact is worth the space saved when shipping empty containers around.

  2. Or perhaps we could sell things to asia ... by perpenso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or perhaps we could sell things to asia. If the containers going from the US to asia were not empty then there would be no need for them to fold.

  3. Re:"Reducing the number of container ship movement by roskakori · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Once those containers get back to China and are loaded up with cargo, you now have 5 ships worth of cargo containers, but only 2 ships to transport them. Those 3 ships you left in the U.S.

    Good point. Seems they need to find a way to fold ships, too.

    Similar to bikes, planes and (to some extent) cars.