The shipping containers fit into perfect slots within the cargo ship, but the positioning for how the crane picks up the container is dependent entirely on the operator's skill and training.

Container cranes loading shipping containers at the port in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada.

Before the container was standardized, loading and unloading goods was very labor-intensive, inefficient and costly.

It’s hard to overstate the impact containerized cargo has had on the modern world. The ability to load and unload ships laden with containers of standardized sizes rapidly with cranes, and then ...