Could you introduce yourself briefly and explain your connection with the Cargoshell?
After 15 successful years as a navigating officer in the merchant marine I returned to life on land. I went into contract teaching, first in the Netherlands and then in other countries. There I trained people at middle and senior management level in Container Terminal Operations and in Port Management and Business Administration. I did this for 15 happy years. In September 1999 I entered the employment of Rotterdam University where I was asked to teach the curriculum for the institute of logistics. Four years later I repeated this for Commercial Studies which, shortly before the final project, sets a project called ‘Marketing Today’. During this project students get to work on a problem/study of an existing company or institution. Ultimately the students make a recommendation for solving the problem. Given my history and my affinity with shipping and port-related companies, you will not be surprised that I came into contact with Cargoshell through my network. It seemed to me that an innovative process such as introducing the Cargoshell was an excellent topic for students to study. The students are asked to study the prospects of the Cargoshell in terms of marketing.

How does one get involved in a project like ‘Marketing Today’?
First of all we go in search of a suitable company or a company applies voluntarily. After an exploratory talk with Rene Giesbers I decided to assign a group of students to the Cargoshell project. A group of five students was selected by the University. In view of my knowledge of containerisation it seemed in the best interest of the University that I should supervise the project. Together with the students I went to Rene Giesbers so they could get acquainted. During that meeting Rene expressed his ideas about the Cargoshell and how he hoped the students would go about their work. The students then started their research. During the project we had a meeting with Rene Giesbers every fortnight to discuss progress.

In the end, a report was issued. Can you tell us something about it?
The students concentrated mainly on comparing the Cargoshell with the existing container. The Cargoshell entails a lot of cost savings, through the use of composite for example. As composite is used, the container is much lighter than the existing container. Transporting a lighter container consumes less energy and therefore results in a considerable CO2 reduction. Another element in the use of composite is a reduction in maintenance and repair costs. By making thorough calculations using a container ship with a capacity of 8000 TEU sailing from Shanghai to Rotterdam, the advantages of the Cargoshell in comparison with the traditional container became clear. This was set out in full in a report, which led to a marketing plan.

It goes without saying that you have formed your own opinion about the Cargoshell. How do you yourself regard it?
Potentially, the Cargoshell has an incredible range of possibilities. The Cargoshell requires little maintenance and therefore has a longer economic life. As the container is a lot lighter, it will result in huge savings, particularly for shipping companies. The new container costs less in terms of maintenance, so it will have an effect on companies that carry out maintenance and repairs on a container. There will gradually be less need for such companies and jobs will be lost. To quote Johan Cruijff, ‘Every advantage has a disadvantage'. This is an element that will have to be taken into account and I think that a phased market introduction of the Cargoshell will therefore be a good option. You then get natural wastage. Anyway, other jobs may well stem from the production of the new container: the growth of composite production for example.

What do you regard as the greatest benefit? The fact that the container is made of composite, with all the benefits this brings, or that it’s collapsible?
There are two areas of benefit. The first is that the container is environmentally friendly because of the use of composite. This is something that it is becoming increasingly important in the current market but I don’t think this element will have so many cost-saving benefits. Cost savings will, however, be achieved because of the collapsibility of the Cargoshell; this means you can transport four containers in the space taken up by one existing container. The shipping companies’ transport costs will then drop substantially. From an economic viewpoint this is a significant fact for the shipping companies, contributing towards an improvement in the transport margins or even a reduction in transport costs.

So you are sure that the Cargoshell has a good future?
Yes, absolutely. All will be well if the Cargoshell is brought to the market in the right manner with a few quality organisations that can demonstrate the other benefits. In the end, the Cargoshell will then sell itself.

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