This story is one that was featurd on BBC News/Worldwide yesterday around lunchtime: The Story of the/a Container Box.
The BBC says:
BBC News embarks on a unique project telling the story of international trade by tracking a shipping container around the world for a year.
The idea is devilishly simple: follow the box around the world and track its movements, contents and journey. Then report on TV each stage of the way. Viewers can follow the story on the website, on the TV, and on GPS. There’s not much on the site yet, except for a good story on how the container system was first created by Malcom McLean. It has revolutionized trade since then, especially for NICs, like Taiwan. Should be worth watching.