The world's largest ocean container. Another APL innovation.

APL has unveiled its latest innovation – and another industry first – 53-foot ocean containers, operated as the Ocean53 service.

Since they first rolled off the production line in November 2007, the 53-foot containers have been deployed with select customers in the Asia-to-U.S. market.

This latest innovation would make a significant impact on the economics of global trade, and in particular, the Transpacific trade.

"Our objective is to move big-box economics further back in the supply chain to the point where products are manufactured in Asia," said Ron Widdows, CEO of APL. "This is a breakthrough with the potential to make containerized trade more efficient than ever."

Ocean53 containers have the potential to be the transport method of choice for customers moving cargo to inland U.S. destinations. The bigger boxes offer 60% more capacity than standard 40-foot containers so shippers can consolidate more cargo into fewer containers.

53-foot containers have become fundamental to domestic intermodal transportation in the U.S. In the past, fully laden 53-foot containers haven’t been strong enough to endure the rigors of ocean transport. To compensate, importers ship cargo in 40-foot boxes, then trans-load, or transfer, their shipments to 53-foot containers at U.S. ports of call for truck or rail carriage.

The new, marine-grade Ocean53 has been designed to withstand ocean voyages. That means cargo can be transported directly from factories in Asia all the way to U.S. store doors.

Ocean53 can help shippers lower their costs by cutting out trans-loading from the supply chain. As two 53-foot containers hold the contents of three 40-footers, fewer containers can be handled. And in cutting down on trans-loading and the number of truck moves, traffic and exhaust emissions can be curtailed.

With this initiative, APL has taken the next step in its long history of innovation – APL introduced the industry's first 45-foot containers in 1980, the 48-footer in 1986 and the U.S. domestic 53-foot box in 1989.

The Ocean53 concept has been tested with a handful of major U.S. retailers.

"The 53-foot container is an innovation that holds promise," said Michael Jacobs, Senior Vice President of Logistics for Toys "R" Us. "It can help international shippers control costs and simplify complex supply chains."

"Fifty-three-foot boxes have always made sense for domestic use in the U.S.," added Kelly Callaghan of global athletic products provider New Balance. "By eliminating the need to trans-load international shipments, they make more sense than ever."

"We've been moving 48-foot containers for key customers for more than twenty years now - and this is the logical next step in the evolution of containerized trade," said Mr Widdows.