While the standard NF-8000 container is nothing more than a cargo rack for the smaller planetside containers, it is by no means the only kind of container. Bulk liquid containers are almost as common, and right behind it is the multi-level break-bulk container. The latter is most commonly in service between warehouses and large industrial complexes, used either to move components too large to fit in the smaller planetary containers or not quite big enough to qualify for a dedicated container all to itself. Often times, they are used as “extra” warehouse space, as they’re often configured to have four decks of loose breakbulk freight.
And part and parcel of handling these containers is dedicated container stations, built to manage multi-level cargo containers as well as liquid tanks equally well. These are always found adjacent to a warehouse or tank farm to support them, as they have almost no intrinsic storage capacity. The above example is part of an orbital shipyard, used for handling deliveries for whatever the yard cannot produce on its own.
This design stemmed from a bit more thought about the large size of space going containers: what ELSE can you use them for? And one of them was the idea of moving an entire warehouse section. Instead of having to fight to fit every square meter of a container full, why not move the whole thing in one go? It’s kind of insane on a meta level, but if you’re looking at this kind of freight volume, well… even insane ideas start to look plausible.
Dollarton Proxima Shipyards 