The Use Of Nitrogen Purged Shipping Containers Keeps Global Logistics Safer

By Helene Norris


A common joke about the interstate highway system is why there are such highways in Hawaii, where there are three. But one need only remember the primary purpose of this system is movement of military equipment to resolve the mystery. A secondary benefit of these roadways is the incredible volume of nitrogen purged shipping containers that can be moved almost continuously.

The size of the nation has been a logistical hurdle since the early days of the nation state, when the complex notions of an intercontinental railway and the pony express were necessary to move critical material. Once in place, a development of the 1950s, the nation had a means of travel and movement unlike any before. The next big step was developing a standardized way to move the volume of material necessary to keep a nation stocked from coast to coast.

The idea was to make it just as simple to move cargo across the international distribution lanes as the interstate highway system. The process had to be convenient to use and flexible enough to work on trucks, railways and ocean going vessels. The resulting device is both simple and elegant, allowing for relatively easy handling and storage.

The requirements of such a device were that it had be strong, large enough to handle almost every type of material, and designed for rapid cross loading from one transport mechanism to another. In addition, they had to be a stand alone device, but one that could also be easily stacked for rail and oceanic movement.

Protection of the assets was a primary driver for the development of these transportation storage units. The time it takes to get from origin to the trans-load facility and then on to the destination is measured in weeks, sometimes months. For the duration, the cargo needed to have physical protection from the elements as well as from people and equipment.

Sometimes the material needing movement is just plain dangerous, like acids and other industrial chemicals and the devices had to be modifiable to handle these as well. Perishable materials needed to have temperature controls to allow the time to get from one place to another without spoiling. A final modification for food was the development of atmosphere control, wherein the use of inert gas postpones the ripening or spoiling.

Volatile chemicals, like gasoline and acids, also need a controlled atmosphere for movement across nations or seas. With the sheer volume of fossil fuels used daily in every nook and cranny of every continent, such movement is frequent and risky. The introduction of inert gases can reduce the possibility of what could be violent explosions, and makes the system work smoothly.

The use of nitrogen purged shipping containers is essential for the overall logistics system, as there is now so much hazardous material that must move on a daily basis. There is insufficient capacity to simply dedicate sections of global logistics systems to the hydrocarbon rich movements. And when people ad cargo move together, the risks are too high not to take advantage of safety procedures.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment