On March 23, 2021 the container ship Ever Given caught global attention when it rammed into the side walls of Suez Canal. This incident brought to light the vulnerabilities and dependance of global trade on shipping lines. It reassured the world on the importance of containerized ships in maintaining the pace of our global supply chains today.

There are many ways to get goods from one place to another.

Planes are fast-no doubt, trucks are precise, and maybe trains are efficient.

However water is by far the cheapest and that’s why our global economies depend heavily on it.

There are no roads to build, or intersections to stop at..wait wait wait-unless it is a rare occurrence like the trending Suez canal blockage.

Some of the biggest container ships in the world are manned by just 13 crew members.

Also you may find it interesting that ships may burn 400 tons of bunker fuel per day, which at current prices, amounts to nearly $200,000 in a single 24 hour period. For me, the beauty of container ships is their ability to conveniently deliver goods, regardless of “WHERE”.

Now that we know the importance of containerized ships..let me tell you, shipbuilding is a complicated process which involves several departments working together to build a vessel which is not just seaworthy but is also equally efficient in terms of both operations and economics. FUEL & STEEL are the major commodities that global shipping industries are currently reliant on. Steel comprises roughly 98% of the volume of a container ship therefore a reliable supply of low-cost steel is extremely important for a fleet owner. Also the average lifespan of modern container ships fall somewhere between 10-16years.

Last year, Danish international container shipping company- Maersk Line announced their vision to be known as the industry leader based on their efforts to drive superior sustainability performance in global supply chains.

Their New vessels plan to set new standards on energy efficiency and Cradle to Cradle design.

They are exploring how to prepare ships for quality recycling while in the design phase, and are developing a Cradle to Cradle Passport as the first step on this journey.

They are developing the cradle-to-cradle passport together with the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), who specialises in the cradle-to-cradle concept.

This is the first time a cradle-to-cradle passport has been introduced in the container shipping industry

This concept essentially means that materials will not only be recycled, but used for the same or even more advanced constructions or products ..one can say ‘up-cycling’.

The other part of cradle-to-cradle concept would involve avoiding toxic materials and instead using biodegradable resources to the largest extent wherever possible. Maersk’s Triple-E vessels will describe how the materials and components used to build the ship should be safely dismantled once the ship’s service lifecycle has expired.

Tune into the episode to learn more about circularity in Shipping Industry.

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