Before containers: How Hapag-Lloyd shipped the world | From crates to container revolution 🚢📦

Before the container revolution, shipping was a whole different world—cargo moved crate by crate, sack by sack, and barrel by barrel. Our video takes you back in time to the bustling docks of the pre-container era, where crews relied on cranes, teamwork, and sheer muscle power to load and unload goods.

Step into the 1960s and discover how Hapag and North German Lloyd transformed the industry by ordering Europe’s first full container ships in 1967—four trailblazing vessels with a capacity of 736 TEU each. This innovation slashed shipping times, reduced costs, and laid the foundation for modern global trade.

📦 From manual loading to containerization, witness the logistics evolution that changed the world.

#HapagLloyd #ShippingHistory #ContainerRevolution #MaritimeHistory #GlobalTrade #LogisticsInnovation #BeforeContainers #Containerization #CargoHandling #PortHistory #TradeEvolution #736TEU #shippingindustry

[Some materials used in this video are of unclear copyright status. They are shown for editorial purposes under fair use or comparable provisions. If you hold rights or have relevant information, please contact us.]

Visit us on: http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:    / hapaglloydag  

Follow Hapag-Lloyd on:
LinkedIn:   / hapag-lloyd-ag  
Facebook:   / hapaglloydag  
Instagram:   / hapaglloydag  
TikTok:   / hapaglloydag_official  

With a fleet of 313 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.5 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the Company has around 14,000 employees and 400 offices in 140 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.7 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 133 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 21 terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. Around 3,000 employees are assigned to the Terminal & Infrastructure segment and provide complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to the terminal activities.

Hapag-Lloyd: We Care. We Move. We Deliver.