| Bulk (grains, energy, minerals) | Containerized | |
| Sectors | Primary / Transformation | Manufacturing / Retail |
| Driving Force | Cost / Volume | Time / Flexibility |
| Mode of shipment | Large batches | Small shipments |
| Frequency | Low | High |
| Flows | One way | More balanced |
| Terminals | Dedicated by commodity | General container |
| Seasonality | From low (iron ore), average (coal) to high (wheat) | Low (retail cycles) |
| Markets | Mass (Futures and Forward) | Niche (spot) |
In spite of appearing to be very different modes of shipping, there is an emerging complementarity between bulk and containerized shipping.