New design open-top container launched

A new design of open top container – the “Sliding Open Top” – has been developed by Korean container specialists BoxJoin Corporation. According to a spokesman for UK-based agents Blue Sky Intermodal, major challenges for container operators are how to easily open and close the roof, and how to avoid losing the removable parts, (the tarpaulin and roof bows) once the cargo has been discharged from the container. BoxJoin’s concept is for the roof bows and tarpaulin to stay with the container. Instead of the roof bows being secured by pins in the top rail (as on a standard open top), the roof bows on the new Sliding Open Top have rollers at each end, which sit in a track on the inside of the container’s top rail, running the whole length of the unit. “So, after the rope securing the tarpaulin to the container has been untied , the roof bows and the tarpaulin together can now be pulled along the track either to the front or back of the container, giving access for quick and easy loading and discharging of the cargo. “Alternatively, the roof bows can be pulled along the track after the tarpaulin has been pulled back in the same way as on a normal open top.” One of the main benefits of the system, according to Blue Sky, is that it avoids the need to remove the roof bows and the tarpaulin during loading and discharge, so there is much less chance of their being lost or damaged. The Sliding Open Top is available for lease, lease purchase or purchase and can be built by any container manufacturer under a licence agreement negotiated with BoxJoin. The containers can be purchased either directly from the manufacturer or through BoxJoin. Blue Sky is offering a number of 20ft Sliding Open Tops on trial. These are available in Busan, but will also be available in some locations in N. Europe, Singapore and Florida.