How to Open a Cargo Container

Cargo containers can be stacked like blocks on a ship deck.

Standard cargo containers are metal boxes of a uniform size and design that can be easily transferred from container ships to trains and trucks for delivery. This makes supply chains much more efficient, as goods no longer need to be unloaded when being moved from one mode of transport to another. The vast majority of cargo containers use a door that is opened in the same way as a truck trailer door; if you have bought a locked container, you may need special tools to open it.

Things You'll Need

• Angle grinder
• Carbide blade
• Key

Instructions

1. Unlock the container. Container doors are locked with padlocks, called "high security seals" in the shipping industry. This lock will have its bar passed through holes in two metal pieces on the right door that hold down the door handle and prevent the door from being opened. If you have the key, use it to open and remove the lock. If you have bought an old container that remains locked, you can cut the lock with an angle grinder or remove the rivet holding the door handle open by drilling through it.

2. Rotate the top piece that the lock passed through upwards (it is attached on a bearing) to provide a space for the door lever.

3. Hold the rotating piece up while pulling the door lever up until it is clear of the fixed lower piece of the locking mechanism.

4. Pull the door lever toward you until it is at a 90-degree angle to the door surface. You may now let the rotating piece of the locking mechanism fall back into place.

5. Pull the right door open. Moving the door lever toward you pulls in the door's locking pins, located at the top and the bottom of the right door. It should move freely once they are pulled in, and allow the left door to be opened.

6. Pull open the left door. It may have manual pins holding it to the top and bottom of the container. If so, pull them out of their slots and twist them sideways to keep them raised and lowered. This will allow the door to move freely.

References

• P.J. Murray Associates: Cargo Container Vulnerabilities