A revolutionary new container handling system, aimed at easing the increasing problem of port congestion, is being launched at a technical demonstration in Shanghai at the end of November. 

Called the 'BLOK-BEAM', the system enables six containers to be lifted and transported as one single block - largely using existing port infrastructure.
                               
John Evans, managing director of BLOK-BEAM says “Now that ships are able to deliver around 20,000 20ft containers on one vessel - and the cranes to service them can lift up to 100 tonnes at a time - it is the ports which, in spite of their improved efficiency, have become the focus of attention in ship-to-shore movement.”

Evans notes that ports handle over 500 million containers annually, of which as many as 25 percent are empty. With container terminals charging up to US$300 per lift, the potential savings to the industry are massive.   

“We estimate that if only one-third of empty moves of containers are handled by BLOK-BEAM, the industry would save over US$2 billion per year," says Evans, "before even considering the vast expense of idle time, fuel savings, general efficiency, losses at sea and safety."
 
Safety is indeed a big issue at sea, on deck, and on the quayside. Individual containers can be linked for lifting as a tandem vertical lift. But being so high, they risk being unstable and can topple over on quayside or deck. 
At the recent ICHCA Ship-Port Interface Seminar in London, one presentation indicated that even worse can happen at sea - where the stacks can go up to 10 high and thousands of containers are lost overboard or damaged each year.

Visit www.blok-beam.com