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Did you know that nearly every product shipped in the United States has spent some of its life on a container ship? From oil to sheep to bunches of bananas, ocean shipping is the industry that keeps America powered and moving.
Humans have been moving cargo on ships since antiquity, and we’ve only improved since then. If you have something to move, and you’d like to do it affordably, why not rely on a tried and tested method? Ocean freight shipping has not gone out of style!
Curious about this unique shipping option? Read on to learn ten fascinating facts about the way OGL moves cargo over the high seas.
Can you guess how many containers there are floating in the ocean as you read this? The best estimate is that there are close to 20 million containers traveling around the world at any one time. The largest ocean container ship is capable of transporting 11,000 containers at once!
That’s a lot of cargo, and that many customers can’t be wrong. Ocean freight shipping is popular because of its efficiency and effectiveness.
Now more than ever, Earthlings big and small have the climate on their minds. It can be challenging to balance your need to move your product with your desire to slow global warming. With international ocean freight shipping, you can mitigate harm to the planet and still move your product a long way.
Moving 150 tons of ocean freight has nearly half the global warming potential as moving the same freight by air. It’s an impressive 44 times less harmful!
Furthermore, companies are doing plenty of work to make the whole industry even greener and more energy-efficient. They are leaders in alternative energy solutions. Many companies are even going back to their roots and implementing techniques used back in the days of the explorers by harnessing wind power!
Because ocean shipping is an excellent option for transporting goods internationally, many container ships are well-traveled. On average, a single ocean freight container ship might travel 1.5 million miles in a single calendar year!
To put that into perspective, it takes only about 25,000 miles to circumnavigate the entire earth once. That’s sixty trips around the world in a single year! Your average container ship might take 1,200 trips around the world during its twenty years of service on the sea!
International shipping means that nearly every country in the world has some involvement in moving your good from one place to another. The world’s largest shipping fleets sail out of Germany, Greece, and Japan. That makes sense given their proximity to water and ocean ports.
Even so, the largest population of shipping professionals is Filippino. About one-third of all industry employees hail from the Phillippine Islands.
The most common cargo out there is crude oil, which makes up approximately a quarter of all cargo at any given time. Given how many ships are on the high seas, there is a lot of other stuff in transit, however.
A lot of the cargo is also edible. Companies transport food on special ships called reefer vessels, which have refrigeration capabilities. Well-packaged foodstuffs can survive incredibly long journeys on container ships without any spoilage!
While air freight might get your food there quicker, you’ll never be able to match an ocean container ship for volume. The largest ships can transport 745 million bananas at once – and that’s a lot of future smoothies!
Cargo is not limited to oil and bananas. Did you know that some ships transport live livestock from one country to another? Surprisingly, after oil and foodstuffs, it’s one of the most common kinds of cargo.
Where are all the cows going? Not on vacation! You might transport livestock for breeding, or to eventually become a source of food products.
If you have concerns about your food product arriving fresh after a long ocean journey, shipping it out while it’s still alive is a great way to avoid any problems!
Whatever their ultimate fate, these livestock transporting ships are like barnyard hotels. The containers are well lit, and animals have clean spaces to move. They receive the proper nutrition throughout the journey, much like a family on a cruise ship!
With so much staff and specialized equipment, you might assume that shipping via ocean freight is a costly option. The truth is, it’s five times less expensive than shipping using air freight. That makes it one of the most economical options for moving a lot of product all over the world.
Most companies find that they can ship inexpensively and pass the savings onto their customers. For many companies, ocean freight shipping is the secret to consistently satisfied customers.
When you think of the dangers of the open ocean, many things likely come to mind before pirates. Modern pirates are out there, however, and your shipping professionals put their lives on the line to keep your freight safe from these ocean criminals.
Piracy is a lot more common in some areas of the world than in others, and companies have plans in place to avoid and manage thieves at sea.
A surprising number of consumer products spent some or all of their lives on a container ship. Even if the final product didn’t travel that way, some of its parts or components likely did. An incredible 90% of all products sold in the US spend some time on container ships!
Ocean freight shipping became a popular topic of discussion after this giant ship blocked the Suez Canal in March of 2021. It became a source of public fascination as the entire internet rallied to see this ship freed from its tricky position. The reason this was so interesting is that it very rarely happens, meaning the plight of the Ever Given was an exception, not a rule!
If you trust your freight with OGL, the odds of your cargo getting stuck in the Suez Canal (or anywhere else) are infinitesimally small.
If you have a product to move, ocean shipping is an efficient, green, and affordable option. OGL would love to be the shipping company that helps you to get it there.
Reach out today to begin the process of shipping your product with OGL!
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