Traditionally transportation and materials handling services have been organized along the transport modes, but today the logistics service concepts address more directly the needs of typical customers and the efficiency of the integrated transportation chain. This book is targeting novel conceptual approaches in the development of transfer capabilities and service solutions and to find generalized principles for strategic level structures and efficient operation to be applied over the entire physical transfer chain. A normative framework is developed for the classification and analysis of physical transfer capabilities, where an efficient matching of different transfer capabilities with different types of channel organizations can be determined in general, and with particular concern for the innovations in container shipping. Advanced solutions and operational practices are searched by examining the organizational models with strong emphasis on the role of standardization and cargo handling, transportation and the redesign of the technological and organizational interfaces. The book should be especially useful to academics and professionals in Shipping and Transportation industry.