2/5/2026
Ask a hundred people what they believe to be the modern world’s most impactful inventions, and you’ll get a hundred different answers. The lightbulb. The smartphone. Antibiotics. Coffee.
Allow me to propose a completely different answer: The shipping container.
None of those previous answers get very far without the humble shipping container. It’s what you’re wearing. It’s what you’re sitting on. It’s the coffee in your mug and the phone in your pocket. It all spent time in a shipping container.
70 years ago this month, the invention that would come to reshape both the world’s economy and our region’s landscape was put into motion on the shores of Port Newark. It was all thanks to a trucker who was getting impatient.
Malcom McLean, right, and other dignitaries marked the world’s first container ship service on the shores of Port Newark in April 1956. Courtesy of the Containerization and Intermodal Institute.
For centuries, loading a ship meant workers using their hands: hauling individual crates, boxes, bales and barrels from ship to shore and back again. It took days, cost a fortune, and as you might expect, sometimes stuff went missing.
North Carolina truck driver Malcom McLean spent years watching this lumbering dance from his truck cab. He knew things could move faster. His idea seems like common sense now: Instead of hauling everything off of the ship and then putting it into a truck, just place the truck’s trailer onto the ship.
McLean retrofitted a World War II-era oil tanker to carry 58 steel containers, and on April 26, 1956, the SS Ideal-X left Port Newark bound for Houston. The idea quickly caught on, and shipping costs started dropping dramatically. Moving containers with cranes meant much less manpower was needed, and the quick turnaround times at the dock meant ships had more time to make more trips.
The old way of doing things: hauling crates, boxes, bales and barrels from ship to shore and back again. Courtesy of the Containerization and Intermodal Institute
A television, a pair of sneakers, a piece of furniture, a car part, things that once cost a small fortune to move across an ocean, could suddenly travel thousands of miles for a fraction of the price. Today’s dominant companies, including Walmart and Amazon, owe their entire business strategies to the conveniences the shipping container unlocked.
After the Ideal-X’s maiden voyage, McLean made another, even more fateful move: He decided to give his container patents away for free. That enabled the entire world to operate on standardized equipment and measurements. His unassuming creation on the shores of New Jersey soon rippled across the world.
Malcom McLean watches over his new container operation. Courtesy of the Containerization and Intermodal Institute.
But the container didn’t come without other consequences. The same economics that made it cheaper to manufacture goods overseas contributed to a hollowing-out of American factory towns and industries, and the thousands of longshoremen who once worked the docks saw their numbers shrink dramatically within a generation. The ships and trucks that keep it all moving also carry a significant environmental cost. It’s a challenge we are actively working to address through ongoing investments in cleaner equipment and more sustainable operations, and we’ve committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions across our facilities, including the seaport, by 2050.
As transformative as the shipping container was for the global economy, it also had a profound impact on the development of this region. For the first half of the 20th century, the coastlines of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hoboken and Jersey City were filled with miles of piers jutting out from the shoreline, alongside workers who built livings and neighborhoods based on the old hauling-and-carrying methods. New York was put on the map thanks to its water access.
An aerial view of the Ideal-X and its 58 containers. Courtesy of the Containerization and Intermodal Institute
Container operations require a lot of space as boxes get stacked and sorted, space that wasn’t readily available in the densely packed city. As the container caught on, activity at those urban docks slowed down. Shipping’s center of gravity in the region gradually shifted to where more land was available – namely Port Newark, Elizabeth, and Staten Island.
At the Port Authority, it didn’t take long for us to go all-in on containerized shipping. Six years after McLean’s maiden voyage, and just down the shore from where it took place, we opened the Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal in 1962, the world’s first purpose-built container terminal.
Six years after the Ideal-X’s voyage, the Port Authority opened the world’s first purpose-built container terminal, the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal. Today, the equivalent of about 145 Ideal-X loads can arrive on a single ship.
58 containers left our port on McLean’s maiden voyage in 1956. Fast forward 70 years, and 4.9 million containers (8.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, if you want to use the industry’s standard measurement) moved through the port in 2025, enough to make us the East Coast’s busiest port and among the top three busiest in the nation. A normal day might bring 8-10 ships into the port, each carrying the equivalent of around 145 Ideal-X loads.
Meanwhile, the land that containers rendered largely obsolete has since been turned into some of the region’s most cherished public spaces, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, Hudson River Park, and waterfront esplanades spanning Hoboken and Jersey City, along with thousands of new homes and apartments offering scenic views. At the same time, North Jersey took on the highways, warehouses, and logistics infrastructure needed to support the massive container operation growing along Newark Bay.
The next time you order something online and it shows up two days later, there’s a very long chain of events that made that possible. Follow it back far enough and you end up at Berth 24 in Port Newark. For all that has changed in the 70 years since, we’re still making use of McLean’s simple but revolutionary thought: just put the box on the ship.
For Container InvestorsNovember 22, 2024
Container shipping companies, including Maersk, CMA CGM, and COSCO, are investing in dual-fuel vessels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and comply with global regulations and customer expectations.
These new ships are designed to operate on both traditional fuels and alternative options like liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, hydrogen, and ammonia. This strategy addresses the uncertainty surrounding the most viable green fuel for the future. Shipping contributes approximately 3% of global GHG emissions, necessitating significant investment and clear regulations to achieve decarbonization goals.
While LNG is currently favored for its cleaner combustion, concerns about methane leaks persist. Companies are also exploring other fuels, such as green methanol and biofuels, and are advocating for global guidelines to support the transition to greener shipping practices
October 4, 2024
The American port strike has come to an end after the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) reached a tentative agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). The deal includes a significant wage increase of around 62%, and the strike is suspended until January 2025 while further negotiations continue. This resolution allows work to resume at affected ports, helping to alleviate potential supply chain disruptions
October 3, 2024
A major dockworker strike, the largest in nearly 50 years, has caused long queues of container ships at U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports. The strike, involving 45,000 workers, began after contract talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance broke down. The dispute centres on pay raises and automation concerns.
With 45 ships waiting to unload, disruptions could worsen if no agreement is reached, leading to potential shortages and economic impacts. The Biden administration supports the union, increasing pressure on port employers.
October 7, 2024
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has reinforced its opposition to port automation following a temporary resolution to recent strikes on the US East and Gulf coasts. While a tentative wage agreement has been reached, the union is pushing to ensure protections against the use of automated machinery in future negotiations. This anti-automation stance could hinder efforts to improve US port competitiveness, which lags behind global counterparts in efficiency rankings.
September 30, 2024
Gulf Coast ports, including Houston and New Orleans, reported a surge in container volumes in August 2024. Port Houston saw a 20% year-over-year increase, handling 367,653 TEUs, while the Port of New Orleans recorded a 36% rise in container movements. This growth comes despite concerns about potential labour strikes, and is driven by exports of petrochemical products and manufactured goods. Meanwhile, the Port of Corpus Christi saw a modest 1% increase in overall cargo, with crude oil exports up 2% year over year.
September 19, 2024
Globalisation is still thriving, driven by digital connectivity, resilient global supply chains, and increased economic interdependence. Technological advancements, such as e-commerce and remote work, have strengthened global ties. Despite political tensions, trade remains strong, especially between major economies like the US and China.
Additionally, cultural exchange and migration contribute to a globalised society, while global corporations and collective responses to challenges like climate change and pandemics further underline the ongoing relevance of globalisation.
September 16, 2024
The Russian oil price cap, introduced by the EU, G7, and Australia in 2022, is under scrutiny as oil prices, especially for Russian Urals, near the $60 per barrel cap.
If prices exceed this limit, Western shipowners may return to transporting Russian oil, which could benefit the mainstream tanker market and marginalize older, poorly maintained vessels in the “dark fleet.”
This shift is expected to reduce environmental risks from these less regulated ships.
September 6, 2024
China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) unveiled a groundbreaking design for a 27,500 TEU LNG dual-fuel containership at the SMM exhibition in Hamburg.
This design, larger by 3,000 TEU than the current biggest ships, marks a new milestone in container shipping. While the trend in recent orders focuses on more flexible, smaller ships, this new design targets the Asia-Europe routes, offering greater capacity. The SMM event, focusing on maritime energy transitions and digital transformation, attracted over 2,000 international exhibitors.
September 3, 2024
The global container shipping industry saw profits soar to over $10 billion in Q2 2024, driven by record shipping volumes and rising freight rates. Major carriers like Maersk and Cosco benefited from tight capacity caused by Red Sea disruptions. Container volumes hit an all-time high of 46.4 million units, surpassing the previous 2021 record.
U.S. demand remains strong as retailers stock up, anticipating potential tariffs and strikes. While profits have rebounded, they remain below pandemic-era peaks.
