Embedded Files
People have been shipping goods across the sea for thousands of years. As they explored the world, people began to trade, importing and exporting goods. In the early days, the goods were loaded and unloaded manually at the port. This was slow and cumbersome, with high risk of theft or damage. The process of loading and unloading a ship could take weeks - more time at port than at sea!
In 1955, that all changed with the invention of containers, larger, standard-sized metal boxes that could be loaded straight on and off ships onto trains or lorries. You will probably have seen containers like this being carried by road or rail around the country. They revolutionised shipping, making it possible to load and unload ships within hours rather than weeks. Ports were redesigned so that large container ships could be handled.
What is the DP World London Gateway?
What is the DP World London Gateway?
DP World London Gateway is a new container port on the River Thames, close to London (photo A). It is the first new port on the river for almost 100 years. The old docks in London closed down during the 1970s as a result of containerisation. Container ships were too large to move up and down the river to enter the docks. London Gateway is much larger and is further down the Thames where the river is wider. This allows it to handle the largest container ships, which can be up to 400 metres long.
The new port is located on the north bank of the Thames in Thurrock in Essex, 50 km east of London (map B). Built by the company, Dubai Ports World, based in Dubai, it opened in 2013. The port is semi-automated, using robotic cranes to move containers between ships and lorries or trains. On the same site in the UK’s largest area of warehousing and distribution facilities, where containers can be stored.
The great advantage of containers is that they can be transferred easily from one mode of transport to another. When the containers are unloaded from a ship they can travel onwards using another mode of transport, without handling the goods. You can see how much freight a container ship can carry when you compare it with other modes of transport (table C).
London Gateway is far from the largest port in the world. It is not even in the top 20. The world’s busiest port is Shanghai, with seven of the world’s ten busiest ports also being in China, reflecting China’s dominance of world trade. China is easily the world’s largest exporter of goods with 13% of the world exports in 2019, the UK comin tenth at 2.5%.
How has air travel and shipping influenced globalisation?
How has air travel and shipping influenced globalisation?
Air travel is a relatively new mode of transport, compared to shipping. Commercial air travel only really began after the Second World War. Since then, the number of flights has grown at an increasing rate, carrying both passengers and freight (graph D). Most of the freight carried by air is high-value or perishable goods that need to reach their destination quickly. However, it is worth remembering that by far the greatest amount of freight is still carried by sea.
On graph D, you will notice that major events like the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York in 2001 and the financial crash in 2008, have slowed the increase in air travel. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge reduction in air travel, but flights are likely to recover in the years to come and air travel may continue to increase.
Air travel and shipping are two factors that have brought about globalisation. Globalisation is the way in which companies, ideas and lifestyles spread around the world and interact with one another. Globalisation has created a more connected world, with increased movement of goods, people and ideas worldwide. Almost every country is affected by the process of globalisation, but some high-income countries have greater influence and benefit more. The number of passengers using airports around the world gives us an idea of which countries are most involved (graph E).
Google Sites
Report abuse