| General,
Company History |
Year |
Vessel,
Maritime History |
 APL
is the first shipping company to establish dedicated train service linking port
cities with the interior of the U.S. Train and vessel schedules are coordinated,
which results in a dramatic improvement transit time and reliability for APL customers.
|
1979
|
 |
Modern
containers are discharged,
then transferred to stacktrains. |
|
Development
of a U.S. intermodal network monitored by a sophisticated electronic tracking
system results in record profits for APL. The company’s transportation specialists
continue to refine the intermodal concept.
|
1980
|
Between
1980 and 1982, APL takes delivery on a total of five C-9
class vessels, all of which are containerships. Three of the vessels use diesel
fuel, which enables the company to realize significant cost savings.
|
APL
introduces the 45-foot container.
|
|
 |
In
addition to stacktrain technology,
APL also introduced 45-, 48-,
and 53-foot containers to the
transportation industry.
|
|
APL
stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
|
1983
|
Seaton’s
team develops “stacktrain”
technology, an innovation that doubles train capacity by stacking containers,
two high, on specially designed railcars. The final piece of the intermodal equation,
the stacktrain results in the precise integration of domestic and international
shipments.
 |
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|
1984
|
APL
pioneers container-tracing technology that gives customers direct access to shipment
information, thus eliminating labor-
and paper-intensive processes
|
|
|
APL
introduces the first 48-foot container for U.S. domestic use.
 |
The
President Truman, a C-10 vessel,
outside the Golden Gate bridge.
|
|
1986
|
1988
|
APL
takes delivery on the first class of containerships too large to transit the Panama
Canal. Known as “post-Panamax” ships, the C-10s
carry nearly 30% more cargo than the C-9s. Other carriers soon adopt the design.
|
APL
introduces the first 53-foot container for U.S. domestic use and inaugurates stacktrain
service to Mexico and Canada.
|
1989
|
The
Exxon Valdez runs aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In the aftermath
of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, tankers are required to have double hulls.
|
Expanding
on its extensive Asia network, APL
opens additional offices in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian, China.
|
1990
|
 |
| The
APL Korea in Yantian |
|
APL
begins service to Vietnam and opens an office in Ho Chi Minh City.
|
1994
|
Along
with MOL, OOCL, and Nedlloyd, APL enters into a Global Alliance agreement. The
company also begins serving Europe and Latin America, and is the first global
carrier to create a Web site.
|
1995
|
The
next generation of post-Panamax ships nears completion. The six new C-11s
are larger and more efficient than the C-10s.
 |
| The
APL China, a C-11 vessel,in San Francisco Bay. |
 |
|
 APL
pioneers on-line shipment transactions via the Internet. |
1996
|
|
 APL
merges with Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), creating one of
the world’s largest companies involved in global transportation and related
services.
APL and the Port of Seattle,
WA, team up to teach kids about world trade using a traveling container nicknamed
the “Boomerang Box.” |
1997
|
APL
enters into the New World Alliance agreement, which enables the company to offer
even more comprehensive coverage of the world’s markets to its customers.
|
1998
|
