The Bureau International des Containers et du Transport Intermodal (originally french: Bureau International des Conteneurs, still abbreviated BIC, en, International Container Bureau) oversees standards for
intermodal container
An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different modes of transport – from ship ...
s, commonly referred to as "shipping containers".
The goal of the organization is to promote cooperation among corporations, governments and independent organizations relating to
intermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...
, the process of
containerization
Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport using intermodal containers (also called shipping containers and ISO containers). Containerization is also referred as "Container Stuffing" or "Container Loading", which is the p ...
, and the transport and handling of intermodal shipping containers.
History
BIC was originally established in 1933 under the auspices of the
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every sec ...
. The Bureau suspended its operations during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, with resumption in 1948.
In June 1933, the Bureau decided on obligatory parameters for containers used in international transport in Europe. Containers handled by means of lifting gear, such as cranes, overhead conveyors, etc. for traveling elevators (group I containers), constructed after July 1, 1933. Obligatory Regulations:
* Clause 1.—Containers are, as regards form, either of the closed or the open type, and, as regards capacity, either of the heavy or the light type.
* Clause 2.—The loading capacity of containers must be such that their total weight (load, plus tare) is: 5 metric tons for containers of the heavy type; 2.5 metric tons for containers of the light type; a tolerance of 5 percent excess on the total weight is allowable under the same conditions as for wagon loads.
![Gueterwagen_anagoria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Gueterwagen_anagoria.JPG)
In April 1935 BIC established second standard for European containers:
1951 Zürich conference and UIC standard 590: "Pa-behälter"
From 14–23 April 1951, at
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
Tiefenbrunnen, the Swiss Transportation Association, under auspices of the Bureau International des Containers (BIC), held a comprehensive international exhibition of container systems, aimed to select the best standards for Western Europe. Represented were France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden; with USA observers. The
International Union of Railways, UIC,
[Abbreviated from their original French name 'Union Internationale des Chemins de fer] then standardised a container system for Western Europe called
'Porteur-aménagé', or "Pa-Behälter" / "Pa-containers" (
UIC 590), based on the Netherlands' systems of waste disposal containers and'' 'Laadkisten' ''("loading crates") for consumer goods. Used since 1934, these were at first in size, with a maximum gross weight of . Fitted with rollers underneath, these units could be loaded and unloaded by drivers of trucks equipped with a winch and telescoping ramps – without any other handling equipment. This enabled the practice of dropping and picking-up of such containers'' 'Von Haus zu Haus' ''("door-to-door").
UIC 590 became the first
pan-European standard after World War II. Its system was adopted in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, West Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. Using the previously BIC-defined sizes, containers of were a practical size to be transported ''lengthwise'' on most countries' trucks, and ''transversely'' on railcars.
ISO containers and BIC registration – ISO 6346
Once the larger containers of the ISO-design were gradually popularized, the "Pa-Behälter" system was supplanted, and withdrawn from use by the railways. From the 1970s on, the Pa-system was reutilized in several European countries for transport of waste disposal by trucks,
especially open
skips for
demolition /
construction waste
Construction waste or debris is any kind of debris from the construction process. Different government agencies have clear definitions. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA defines construction and demolition materia ...
.
The Bureau International des Containers (BIC) was elected by the
International Standardization Organization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...
(ISO) in the late 1960s as the single
registrar
A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to:
Education
* Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records
* Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...
office in charge of the registration and protection of the container's owners and operator's identification code. These "BIC codes" were later standardised under
ISO 6346
ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal (shipping) containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ...
. They ensure a unique code-number for every shipping container in the world. They started with the European'' 'Pa-container' ''system, and they must still be registered with BIC.
The
Customs Convention on Containers
{{Use dmy dates, date=October 2013
The Customs Convention on Containers is a United Nations and International Maritime Organization treaty whereby states agree to allow intermodal containers to be temporarily brought into their states duty- and ta ...
(CCC-1972) in a recent amendment, enforced since 2008, also makes reference to the
ISO 6346
ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal (shipping) containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ...
standard, and code registration with BIC, to allow the free circulation of containers worldwide.
Facilities
The BIC is headquartered 41 rue Réaumur, 75003, Paris, France.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Standards organizations in France
Intermodal containers
Organizations based in Paris