Have you ever wondered how you get real Mexican jalapeno in your local store? It is common to order online nowadays, and you can often easily obtain products from far-away countries from your local supermarket. It is made possible by the various contenders of the shipping industry – otherwise known as the container transportation business. Starting by taking products overseas for an elite few, this logistics mode has become necessary for timely product delivery – from cosmetics to foodstuffs and even medicines. It is expected that, like all sectors of business, the future will affect this particular industry too.
So, to know about the possible changes likely to occur in the future – especially if you want to book your container transport Perth, read the article further.
The present State of the Industry
Container transport, in other words – logistics through maritime shipping, has reached important heights. According to expert reports – it has become has logistics backbone of the world, as 80% of all consumer goods are delivered by container shipping. The value of these products was calculated as 14 trillion USD in 2019.
Between 1980 and 2017, both the number of goods and the sizes of the ships have increased considerably. In 1980, 11 million metric tons of ships had delivered 102 million metric tons of product, whereas in 2020 – 275 million metric tons of ships have delivered 1.83 billion tons of product. In today’s scenario, the number of container ships in the world stands at 5 36,000.
It is projected that the container shipping market will increase up to 12 billion USD by the end of 2027. So, it is evident that the container shipping business is showing growth and will continue to do so in the coming years. Therefore, it is better to gauge the future of this thriving industry from currently available data to prepare for any major changes to their business.
Utility of Cargo Containers in the Shipping Industry
Climate change is an accomplished truth – it doesn’t matter what the self-appointed god-men says. With the changes and environmental conditions, the effects on the different products – especially perishable ones, have also changed. The container shipping industry is gearing towards more efficiency, which the current application of cargo containers has brought into question. These containers were a result of the demand for a standardized method of packaging. Till now, it remains the most environmentally–friendly method of delivering packaging goods.
Some of the advantages of using cargo containers in the shipping industry:
1. It reduces the cost of shipping by restricting the handling cost, breakage, and pilferage.
2. The containers’ shape allows them to stack neatly – so that they use the optimum space.
3. Their uniform shape allows the ship-owners to pack them tightly together – along with the products inside them.
4. Their metal body enables them to provide a sturdy place for stacking the products – while protecting them from the effect of outside elements.
5. The uniform shape of the container allows them to be carried by different modes of transport – for example, trains, trucks, and ships.
So, once you have ordered your requirement from the manufacturer overseas, or at a considerable distance – you can be sure about reaching it safely to the warehouse for rent Perth you have arranged for.
Effect of Policy and Economic Shifts
According to the pundits of the trade, global trade will continue to increase – even if there are sudden policy changes or important economic shifts. For example, Brexit or the ongoing tumult between USA and China related to tariff rates may affect the shipping industry but have the least chance of stopping it.
With this incoming trade growth, it is expected to see the number of shipping increases. Still, some maritime experts are unsure about the steady growth of this industry as they feel that the world has reached its optimum globalization. So, there will be an increase in trade wars and environmental regulations needing the reduction of emission in this industry, leading to changes in the business patterns.
Role of Digital Data Sharing to Reduce Wastefulness
The container shipping industry has an important role in the supply chains and trade routes of the world – but due to incomplete or absence of data sharing, about 20 billion USD is wasted annually by inefficient container supply chains in the industry. The main reasons for this inefficiency are:
1. The underperforming cargo stowage system.
2. Unproductive vessel deployment practices.
3. The absence of important process data.
Experts state that sharing data between the ship-owners, container lines, and terminals will smoothen the overall supply chain by lowering the costs, reducing friction, and boosting global trade.
Business intelligence personnel of well-known shipping companies predict that ‘big data will be applied heavily in the future container shipping industry, mainly to use energy spending. The practice will enable optimization of a journey, operational excellence, and improve fleet utilization to the highest degree – enabling more comprehensive operation of shipowners and lowering greenhouse gas emissions for the entire fleet.
However, some experts also feel that digitization will reduce the need for trans-ocean container shipping vehicles. Nowadays, companies produce their goods in low-cost labour countries and export them all over the globe. If robots or other digitally controlled machines in the manufacturing industry became a norm, then it would be more economical to produce them locally, closer to the consumers – thereby reducing the need for overseas supply chains. Still, this issue is under consideration and the current projection shows growth in the industry.
Utilization of Future Fuels
Carbon fuels are slowly coming to an end, and the shipping industry will have to change to new types of fuel slowly. The reason behind this change is the availability of fossil fuel and the reduction of carbon footprint by ships. The new fuels – most likely hydrogen or ammonia – will be costly, and the current engines will have to be replaced. It also means that coal carriers and oil-tankers will slowly be decommissioned; however, the food and essential product shipping will see little change.
The cost of new fuel will pressure the companies to rearrange their supply chains – long-distance container shipping will lessen and see more growth in regional sectors. The business holders in the container transport Perth sector will have to acclimatize themselves to the new developments.
