JC Penney wants 53-foot containers
A supply chain executive at J.C. Penney says the retailer hopes to see ocean carriers and logistics operators provide 53-foot containers for U.S. importers, a shift away from longtime industry equipment standards.“We would love to see greater flexibility and that would give us an opportunity to eliminate transloading and to load the box directly for inland distribution.”
Container shipping has been built on the 20-foot and 40-foot boxes since the industry’s inception and much of the field’s equipment, including container line vessels, is aligned to the measures, making any large-scale shift unlikely in the near term. … Some ocean carriers have added modest capability to handle 53-foot trailers. Officials at APL, for instance, said a handful of its container ships can carry 53-foot boxes.