AP Moller-Maersk Group, the Mediterranean Shipping Group and CMA CGM are the three largest shipping container companies in the world. They operate thousands of ships that transport intermodal containers to all corners of the world. Their ability to transport is measured in TEU, or Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, the standard measure of one intermodal container. Combined, they operate with millions of TEUs around the world.
One variant of the intermodal is the tank intermodal, where a cylindrical tank is set within the frame of an intermodal container. These are used to ship liquids or liquefied gases or even cryogenic gases, gases stored through refrigeration. A variant on the tank intermodal is the tube intermodal, with several smaller tubes, usually used to store pressurized gases.
Flat racks are elongated intermodals with an open top, generally reserved for carrying objects that cannot fit inside standard intermodal shipping containers. Heavy machinery is often stored in flat racks so they do not have to be dismantled to fit within standard one-TEU units. Inside cargo ships, they are stored below deck because their open top leaves the contents vulnerable to the elements and the wear of saltwater spray.
Refrigerated intermodal containers are used to transport goods that either perish or decay above a certain optimum temperature. Usually used on trailer-trucks, refrigerated intermodal containers require a fuel source, either located in the truck or in the container itself, to power the refrigerator. Agriculture business owners are pushing for more efficient refrigerated intermodal containers in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and to cut the cost of refrigerating goods over a long period of time.
