Malcom Mclean News

“An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn’t take his education too seriously.” –Charles KetteringJust for fun, try asking a friend a few questions. Who developed the telephone? Chances are that your friend will reply, Alexander Graham Bell. Who developed the lightbulb? That would be Thomas Edison. Who developed the telegraph? That would be Samuel F.B. Morse. Now ask, who developed containerization? Unless your friend has a background in maritime history, he is likely to draw a complete blank. The answer is a man named Malcom McLean. But who exactly was he? Was he a shipping executive?

Supply chain issues tied to liner shipping have been front page news throughout 2021; just about everyone agrees that there’s a problem. The underlying cause is right out of Economics 101: a surge in demand for moving containerized cargo, in the face of “inelastic” throughput capacity (which includes vessels and their landside interfaces to surface transportation, trucks and rail) that could not handle the swell, attributable to re-stocking of containerized cargo as economic activity recovered from the pandemic induced jolts.

Thordon Bearings’ founder and polymer materials pioneer George A. (Sandy) Thomson has been awarded the global transportation sector’s most distinguished accolade, the Elmer A. Sperry Award 2019 for “Advancing the Art of Transportation”.Thomson joins a long list of Sperry Award recipients, which was established in 1955, including Donald Douglas, Ferdinand Porsche, Sir Geoffrey De Havilland, Christopher Cockerell, Leonard Hobbs, Perry Pratt, Josef Becker and Malcom McLean.“I am deeply honored and humbled to win this award…

Maritime museums, such as GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, are here to introduce to some (and reinforce to others) the continued importance of maritime history and the cultural and economic impact the industry has on a global scale. By doing so, more and more millennials are discovering jobs outside of Silicon Valley, ones that do not require sitting behind a desk all day; jobs that enable you to travel the globe, experience other cultures and have a significant and visible impact on the global economy.

50 years after the beginning of modern container shipping in Germany, international trade is handled by 6,397 containerships, with a capacity of 21.1 million TEU. Hapag-Lloyd’s container fleet numbers among the largest in the industry. The revolution reached Germany 50 years ago. And even if no gunshots were heard, there was still a loud bang. On May 5, 1966, the Fairland, owned by the American shipping company Sea-Land, called at Bremen’s Überseehafen (overseas port). On the next day…

Shipping group CMA CGM announced that the 18,000 TEU capacity CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, the largest vessel ever to call the United States, will be inaugurated today in Long Beach, Calif. in the presence of Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The inauguration will gather more than 600 American figures from economic, industrial, institutional and political backgrounds. Alongside Jacques R. Saadé, a large CMA CGM delegation came especially for the occasion…

John McLaurin, President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), a West Coast maritime trade association representing ocean carriers and marine terminal operators on a variety of local, state and federal issues, has been selected to receive the 2013 Connie Award to be presented on the West Coast by the Containerization and Intermodal Institute. The industry-wide dinner event honoring Mr. McLaurin will be held on Thursday, September 26, at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, Calif.

TT Club, established to fill a gap in insurance as the freight container revolutionized trade, celebrates 45 years dedicated service to the transport and logistics sector. In 1956, the first strengthened containers were loaded onto a spar deck of the converted tanker, Ideal X. This marked the fulfilment of a dream for American trucker Malcom McLean who had, since 1937, been working on how to reduce the long waiting hours for dockers to stow or unload his vehicles onto or off ships. The container age was quietly born.

Connie Luncheon Held at The Newark Club, December 5; Stanley Sher Given Lifetime Achievement Recognition. Connie Award recipient is R. Kenneth Johns, former president of Sea-Land Service Inc. The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) presented the 2011 Connie Award to Robert Kenneth (Ken) Johns, former president of Sea-Land Service Inc., for his significant influence in containerization in worldwide trade and transportation. The Connie Awards luncheon was held Monday, December 5 at The Newark (NJ) Club and marked 40 years of Connie Awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Stanley Sher, a maritime attorney in Washington D.C.…

Somewhere, Malcom McLean, "the father of containerization," is smiling. Yesterday the NOL Group, the Singapore-based container shipping and logistics company, celebrated with the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF) the inauguration of the container school called “Philippine Technical College.” The campus is unique in that it is built exclusively from APL cargo containers. NOL Group donated 53 containers to PCF and subsidized the purchase of 26 more. The Group also sponsored…

The Postal Service will salute the U.S. Merchant Marine on four forever stamps July 28 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend the 11:30 a.m. dedication ceremony that takes place in the Ackerman Auditorium, 300 Steamboat Rd. Since the founding of the republic, the United States has looked to the commercial maritime industry for much of its growth and security. This issuance pays tribute to the U.S. Merchant Marine, the modern name for the maritime fleet that has played this vital role.

Long Beach, CA (May 9, 2011) -- Richard D. Steinke, who will retire this year as executive director of the Port of Long Beach and who was instrumental in developing the Port into one of the world's largest container harbors, has been selected to receive the Connie Award to be presented on the West Coast by the Containerization & Intermodal Institute (www.containerization.org). The industry-wide dinner event honoring Mr. Steinke will be held on Wednesday, September 21, at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, CA.

“Old sailors never die, they just drop the anchor,” Robert J. “Bobby” Pfeiffer said over a decade ago as he was contemplating retirement. Pfeiffer, one of Hawaii’s most renowned sailors and captains of industry, dropped the anchor on Friday, September 26, 2003, at age 83, at his home in Orinda, Calif., after a lengthy illness. During his 12 1/2 years at the helm of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Pfeiffer became practically synonymous with business leadership in Hawaii. He charted a course of modernization and diversification, and led A&B through one of its strongest periods of growth and prosperity. At the same time he earned a reputation for leadership –– personal as well as corporate –– in support of charitable and other community causes.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Crowley Maritime Corporation are pleased to announce that Ronald M. Katims has been appointed as the first holder of the Crowley Chair in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation. The Crowley Chair was established through a $2 million endowment by Crowley Maritime in memory of Thomas B. Crowley, Sr., the late leader of the firm. Katims has had an illustrious career in the port and transportation field. He has extensive senior executive, engineering, and consulting experience in the containerization environment. He has worked for and with many international companies and agencies in the forefront of developing intermodal transportation.

Charles G. (Chuck) Raymond, CEO and President of Horizon Lines Inc., said in an interview that the carrier, which completed a initial public offering (IPO) last September, “will generate significant free cash going forward and that will enable us to pay down debt and grow.” Mr. Since going public at $10 a share on September 27, Horizon’s (HRZ) stock has increased as much as 30 per cent and has exceeded the average performance of 2005 IPOs compiled by Renaissance Capital. “It indicates what we are capable of achieving,” said Raymond. While some analysts have urged the carrier to begin replacing some of its older tonnage, Chuck Raymond noted that there are “well-defined plans” for updating the fleet but would not disclose specifics at this time.

It was 50 years ago that Malcom McLean, an entrepreneur from North Carolina, loaded a ship with 58 35-foot containers and sailed from Newark, N.J., to Houston. He was the first to design a transportation system around the packaging of cargo in huge metal boxes that could be loaded and unloaded by cranes. Container shipping eventually replaced the traditional "break-bulk" method of handling crates, barrels and bags, and stowing them loose in a ship's hold, a system in use since the days of the Phoenicians. Replacing break-bulk with cargo containers dramatically reduced shipping costs, reinvigorating markets and fueling the world economy. McLean, who died in 2001 at 87, shares the credit with Matson Navigation Co. of San Francisco, a longtime force in Pacific shipping.

Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, presented one of two United Seamen's Service 2002 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Awards to Tom Crowley Jr., Chairman, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime, Friday night before some 900 people at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. An AOTOS award was also presented to Capt. Timothy A. Brown, President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, ILA, AFL-CIO. contributions to American shipping and American Seafarers. The men were chosen from among a group, which was solicited by USS from more than 160 maritime management, labor, and government officials. "I've always thought of this award as honoring a lifetime of achievement in the maritime industry," said Crowley in his acceptance speech.

Trailer Bridge, Inc. announced that Jay Thomassen, Director, Corporate Sales, is the recipient of the 2003 Malcom P. McLean Innovative Spirit Award. The Company recognized Mr. Thomassen at its annual stockholders' meeting, which took place May 28th at Trailer Bridge's corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. The award, in honor of the late founder of Trailer Bridge who was the leading transportation innovator of the 20th century, is given each year at the Annual Meeting to that employee whose innovative and persistent efforts particularly benefited the Company. In his remarks presenting the award for 2003, John D. McCown, Trailer Bridge's Chairman & CEO, stated, "Jay has responsibility for some of the largest accounts within the Trailer Bridge system.

Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, presented one of two United Seamen's Service 2002 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Awards to Tom Crowley Jr., Chairman, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. An AOTOS award was also presented to Capt. Timothy A. Brown, President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, ILA, AFL-CIO. The AOTOS award, the maritime industry's most prestigious recognition, honors those within the shipping industry who have made significant contributions to American shipping and American Seafarers. The men were chosen from among a group, which was solicited by USS from more than 160 maritime management, labor, and government officials.