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Custom Container: Containerizing Prisons

on Jul 7
in News
by admin
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Custom Container : Are Containers The Solution For Prison Overcrowding in the North?

Custom container development for prisons from shipping containers is nothing new for our friends across the pond in Australia. It continues to gain reputability based on the ease of transport, ease of new deployment and ease of on-site setup versus traditional construction methods.

At Modcan, we have asked ourselves, is there a future for this type of system in Canada? We feel the answer is yes, with some modifications and conditions (insulation!) of course. Based on the requirements for inmates in Canada, it’s likely that modular prisons will gain more traction before the use of shipping container incarceration. Although not widely publicized, a 32 bed prison in Barrie, Ontario was built using modular techniques. The builder, RCF, has built over a thousand beds across North America so to say the technology is available is an understatement. The question begs to differ, why are there not more of them across the country with our current under supply of quality prisons?

Looking at the market as a whole, we feel there is a belief that modular systems are not secure enough to house inmates. With a reputable and quality builder using steel and concrete, we feel nothing could be further from the truth!

We continue to push the boundaries with shipping containers and their modifications. With the short construction period in Canada’s North, we feel it’s only a matter of time before modular and containerized prisons become the norm. In some of the most remote locations in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, standard construction methods no longer make sense based on the cost and accessibility to skilled workers. By standardizing a design, it makes the most sense to have modules built in a factory controlled environment with the ability to deliver them to communities as required. Seems like a perfect solution to an ever increasing problem in our opinion.

To find out more about the container prison concept in Australia, visit the following link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-09/more-shipping-container-cells-for-victorian-prisons/5376832
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[Link] A Shipping Container For Your Office?

on Jul 7 | in Branding, News | by admin

The Modcan team thought this was a clever idea for our next DIY project. Using a standard cardboard box and some decals, creating your own custom shipping container table is easy! Think we may have to make these standard in all our offices! Check out the story at...
Five Interesting Container Related Statistics

on Jun 15
in News
by admin
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Five global container stats that the office staff have been tossing around today:

1. There is an estimated 6 million shipping containers moving on ships at this very moment in time.

2. There is an estimated 10,000 shipping containers lost at sea each year (none of those have been ours thankfully!)

3. The “Triple-E” series of vessels from Maersk are the largest shipping vessels in the world carrying a staggering 18,000 twenty-foot equivalents per trip. At a cost of roughly 190 million USD, Maersk plans to have 20 of them in operation within the next few years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Triple_E_class

4. The port of Vancouver handles 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalents annually.

5. It’s estimated that roughly 90% of everything we purchase, has at least had one of its components inside a shipping container at one time. That’s a crazy thought no?

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Video: Building the Worlds Largest Ship

on Apr 12
in News
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Follow the Discovery Channel and their short piece on building the worlds biggest ship.

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Corten Steel : Why Weathering Steel is Used in Shipping Containers

on Mar 5
in Design, Uncategorized
by admin
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Corten Steel – What it Means for Containers

Shipping containers are fabricated from what is know as corten steel; typically referred to as “corten”. The corten steel is a weathering steel that is more durable to long term corrosion which makes it ideal for the salty conditions found on the ocean and ports globally. It’s chemical properties exhibit increased resistance to atmospheric corrosion and therefore create a formidable layer protecting it against new weather. In construction today, the material is often used as an architectural feature on buildings. As displayed in the above photo, it can can make for an interesting cladding option!

What does this mean for you as an owner of a shipping container? Many of our Clients leave their containers for countless years without ever touching up the paint. We do recommend you check older containers for excessive corrosion to ensure the elements are staying where they belong; outside! However, if you do have a unit that needs to be freshened up, give us a call. We have ample access to the necessary materials and personnel to bring an old container back to it’s original glory!

Want to see some other great examples of the steel in action? Check out this post from Houzz: http://www.houzz.com/corten-steel
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The Future of Shipping Containers?

on Aug 20
in News, Uncategorized
by admin
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With an ever increasing stockpile of containers around the world, several companies such as Saxxon and Cargoshell are developing systems that allow containers to be broken down into smaller, more manageable and more efficient containers for “back hauling” empty units. A video below outlining one such system. What do you think? Is this the future of the global shipping container movement?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTdgZ2YuAM8
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Great New Home Designs: From Shipping Containers

on Jul 7
in Design, News, Photos
by admin
with Comments Off

Think living in a shipping container would be uncomfortable and likely not appealing? Check these photos out from houses around the world. You may just change your mind (and contact us of course!).

http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/amazing-homes-made-through-the-ultimate-in-recycling/story-fndbalka-1226981569145
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Vard Acquires STX Marine for 10.5m

on Feb 26
in News
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Great to see the presence, acknowledgment and recognition of Canadian firms in the future of marine development.

The following text was derived from Seatrade Global’s site. Link can be found on bottom of this page.

Offshore vessels designer and builder Vard Holdings has spent approximately NOK65m ($10.5m) to acquire STX Canada Marine Inc, a marine engineering and design company.

The Vancouver-headquartered STX Canada Marine will be fully integrated with Vard Marine Inc, and operate under the Vard Marine name.

“Through this acquisition Vard is really able to accelerate its growth strategy in North America, and we can rapidly strengthen our presence, capabilities and client relations in this important market,” said Roy Reite, ceo and executive director of Vard.

Following the takeover deal, Vard Marine will provide a broad range of naval architecture and marine engineering services worldwide, including all aspects of ship design and production technology, total equipment and service packages, support for offshore, commercial and naval shipbuilding activities, among others.

Vard, majority owned by Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri, was formerly named STX OSV when it was held by South Korea’s STX Group, which sought to raise cash to repay its debts.

Vard currently has an orderbook of 38 ship designs for vessels under construction, and 20 of these orders are for OSVs, constituting more than 20% of the overall OSV orderbook in the US.

Source: http://www.seatrade-global.com/news/americas/vard-acquires-stx-canada-marine-for-$105m.html

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