Malcolm McLean, the visionary

who invented shipping containers

(and blew up trade and
globalization)

McLean died at his home on the East Side of Manhattan on

May 25, 2001 at age 87, of heart failure.

November 14, 1913,

Maxton, North Carolina,
United States
Malcolm Purcell McLean (November 14, 1913 – May 25, 2001) was an American
entrepreneur who developed the modern intermodal shipping container,
revolutionizing international shipping and trade in the second half of the 20th
century. The subsequent containerization meant a significant reduction in the
cost of transporting goods by eliminating the management of individual pieces,
improving reliability, making it more difficult to steal and reducing transport
times.
In the early 1950s, McLean decided to try using containers commercially. Around 1952 he
developed plans to take his company's trucks on ships up the US Atlantic coast, from North
Carolina to New York. It soon became apparent that the "trailerships", as they were called, were
inefficient due to their misuse of space on board the ship, causing stowage breakage. The
original concept was modified and simplified, loading onto the ship only the containers without
the vehicle chassis.

McLean took out a $22 million bank loan and in January 1956 purchased two World War II-era
T-2 barges that he modified to carry containers above and below decks. McLean supervised the
construction of wooden shelter decks, called Mechano decking. This was a common practice since
World War II for the transport of large cargo such as aircraft. It took several months to remodel
the ships, build containers, and adapt the chassis designs for them.

The first commercially successful container voyage occurred in April

1956 aboard a converted military ship, the Ideal X, which transported 58
containers from New Jersey to Texas, where 58 trucks were awaiting
arrival to move the goods.

The voyage was masterminded by Malcom McLean, the visionary creator

of the modern containerized commercial shipping system.
His death prompted US Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta to state:

Malcom revolutionized maritime transport in the 20th century. His idea modernized the loading
and unloading of ships, which until then had been done basically in the same way as the ancient
Phoenicians used 3,000 years ago, resulting in a much safer and cheaper transport of goods, faster
and with better service. We owe so much to a visionary, "the father of containerization," Malcolm
P. McLean.

"Globalization, as we know it today, would not have been possible

without the container," says Marc Levinson, economist, historian,
and author of books such as "The Box," where he explains how
innovation made the expansion of international trade possible. and
"Outside the Box", where he reflects on the history and future of
globalization.
 CHRONICLE. GA2-240202501-AA2-EV01

STUDENT

SAMUEL YESI CARABALI VALENZUELA

INSTRUCTOR

DARIO ALONSO CASELLES BARBOSA

NATIONAL LEARNIG SERVICE – SENA

FOREING TRADE OPERATIONS

AGAUA CHICA AGROENTERPRISE CENTER