22


Issue 2 2013


///EQUIPMENT CORNER Could the Stockport twins revolutionise container shipping?


Stockport-based Container Group Technology (CGT) says it has revolutionised container design with a new design of twin-20ſt box that can offer 36% more pallet space. The


20-20 SeaCell Container


can pack in 15 Euro-pallets (1200mm x 800mm) instead of just 11 Euro-pallets in a standard ISO 20ſt dry container. It achieves this, says CGT, because it is exactly 20ſt long externally and 2426mm wide internally, whereas standard 20ſt containers are, in fact, only 19ſt 10½ ins (6058mm) long externally and 2330mm wide internally. This extra 1½” internal length, a flat front panel and thinner doors increase


the internal dimensions enough to squeeze the extra pallets in. The door opening width is 2408mm which allows


utilisation, says CGT. The 20-20 is fitted with


fork-liſt


trucks to load pallets two or three at a time and, by using 100% of the floor area, pallets fit snugly together inside the container making the 20-20 ideal for lightweight


slip-sheets or paper


pallets, again reducing costs and increasing usable volume and payload. Moreover, two 20-20 containers


can be locked together from the outside with no special tools using an integral locking mechanism in the corner casting to make a 40ſt box and two 20-20 containers will


carry six more pallets than one standard 40ſt. an integral locking mechanism in the corner casting is activated from the outside the


Two tyre solutions from Krone


Trailer builder Krone has devised two systems to ensure the safe and secure loading of stacked and stepped tyres. The first is for conventional


transport that can be used on all curtainsider trailers with only two standard strapping belts for each post or loading section. Stability is achieved by five


plug-in plank sets and two sets of strapping rails and the load is secured by diagonally tensioning the strapping belts at the height of the third and fiſth strapping rail and connecting with the Multi Lock exterior


frame. No additional horizontal plug-in planks are required for high volume transport - a major handling advantage, says Krone. Curtain bulge is greatly reduced by keeping the distance between the horizontal plug-in planks to a minimum. The system can be retrofitted every Krone curtainsider


to


and is certified to full European standards. Secondly, Krone’s new Multi


Tyre Concept offers a certified load securing system for tyres that do not need cross-tensioning in the load compartment, which allows easier and faster handling.


The basis of the


system is a bespoke designed double- walled side curtain with five integrated, vertical light alloy profiles in each of the the four side pillar loading sections. In addition, two high- strength cables are mounted on each side over the whole trailer length. The new design eliminates complicated cross- bracing in the cargo area.


Maersk calls for tougher reefer rules Maersk Container Industry, the


container supply arm of the Danish shipping line, is calling for tougher enforcement of current EU legislation banning the import or placing on the market of reefer containers that could damage the


climate or ozone layer. It says that, in spite of the legislation, thousands of such containers circulate in Europe’s internal market and on virtually the same terms as its own, more environmentally friendly, reefers.


“We urge the European


Commission to ensure enforcement of existing EU legislation regarding insulation foam in reefer containers,” says Peter Nymand, CEO for Maersk Container Industry.


Maersk says that its Supotec


material, developed and patented by Maersk Container Industry in 2002, does not damage the ozone layer, nor does it cause significant climate change and has the backing of the World Wildlife Fund.


Reports outline green box options The Container Owners


Association (COA) has published two reports on sustainable floor and paint materials in shipping containers. Prepared by the COA’s New


Materials Committee, they say that the volatility of the container market over the last two years has had an impact on the use of sustainable materials. With long- term planning and forecasting


difficult, the primary focus has been on price rather than specification or environmental impact. Tropical hardwood has


traditionally been the most widely-used material for floors but


the report on alternative


materials details the growth in the use of other materials available as well as a comprehensive list of the companies that supply these


products. Of the three main alternative


materials - bamboo, plastic/ composite; and larch/birch hybrid - the first is emerging as the most effective alternative, in terms of volume, availability and cost competitiveness. A second report explores


the use of water-based paints as an environmentally friendly alternative to solvent-based


paints for container coatings. Again, it provides details on


each of the major suppliers, together with comments and information submitted by paint producers and container manufacturers. Both reports are available in full for COA members and can be downloaded from the website at www. containerownersassociation.org


container. It is also possible to mix Euro


& Standard pallets in the same 20-20 and still have 100% pallet


larger corner castings of the type typically used in flat rack containers, enabling them to be liſted by standard 20ſt or 40ſt spreaders, loaded singly or as a pair into a container ship’s 40ſt cells or onto any current road chassis and rail wagon. In just a few minutes, the two


20-20 containers can be securely locked together and liſted as a single 40ſt unit. In the standard configuration, two 20-20s are joined at the front ends, that is, with the doors accessible at each end of the combined containers. However, if


requested, CGT


can also position the locking mechanism


at the door-end


corner castings so that the two 20- 20 units are effectively sealed until reaching their final destination for high value or sensitive cargoes. If the containers are heavily


laden, they can be separated and liſted individually, but if they are empty, or lightly loaded they can be locked together and liſted as a 40’ – potentially saving on stevedoring costs. FBJ understands that two shipping lines are considering using them on the Asia/US trades in this way. Prototypes have been built and


fully tested in China, and the new design is available for sale or lease.


Green machine for Potter


New reach stacker will slash emissions


Potter Logistics


has bought


a high specification Linde reach-stacker for its Selby rail freight terminal. One of the first of its kind in the UK, it is equipped with a EURO 4i (Tier 3b) engine and the latest level of off-highway, emission compliant power units. As well as complying with the latest emissions regulations, it has


a


load management


system


which monitors and protects the machine’s overall structure, operating limits and the operator interface. Jim Thomson, operations


director at Potter Logistics said it would be used for current contracts and would take part in trials for new domestic rail services in 2013.


Tell-tale tag


Cambridge Consultants has come up with the careless courier’s worst nightmare – a device that alerts the recipient to your package being dropped or mishandled through a mobile app. The company says that existing parcel condition monitoring systems tend to be quite basic, mechanical sensors or very expensive data loggers. DropTag though is described as a simple, low-cost sensor platform with Bluetooth connections to smartphones and has developed a simple app which shows what’s happened to a parcel in transit. If it has been mistreated, the app immediately indicates this and there is also a plot mode for more detailed analysis. DropTag can be remotely


interrogated at any stage of the delivery process – with a maximum range of about 50m indoors. Smart


handsets could remotely and automatically check the package at each stage of its journey – reporting back to headquarters and so allowing an early response to any incident. This gives a range of tracking possibilities – for example, the location of the parcel can be verified in real time by a GPS- enabled smart handset. Smart connected ‘gateway’ zones within warehouses could scan packages automatically, establishing the condition and location of each parcel remotely as it passes from one area of the warehouse to another. Cambridge Consultants is now


developing the sensor platform further to log critical event data so that, when DropTag is interrogated, it can provide information on exactly what happened to the package and when.


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