The Bureau International des Containers et du Transport Intermodal (originally , still abbreviated BIC, ) oversees standards for intermodal containers, commonly referred to as "shipping containers". The goal of the organization is to promote cooperation among corporations, governments and independent organizations relating to intermodal freight transport, the process of containerization, and the transport and handling of intermodal shipping containers. History BIC was originally established in 1933 under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce. The Bureau suspended its operations during World War II, with resumption in 1948. In June 1933, the Bureau decided on obligatory parameters for containers used in international transport in Europe. Containers handled by means of lifting gear, such as cranes, overhead conveyors, etc. for traveling elevators (group I containers), constructed after July 1, 1933. Obligatory Regulations: Clause 1.—Containers are, as regards form, either of the closed or the open type, and, as regards capacity, either of the heavy or the light type. Clause 2.—The loading capacity of containers must be such that their total weight (load, plus tare) is: 5 metric tons for containers of the heavy type; 2.5 metric tons for containers of the light type; a tolerance of 5 percent excess on the total weight is allowable under the same conditions as for wagon loads. In April 1935 BIC established second standard for European containers: 1951 Zürich conference and UIC standard 590: "Pa-behälter" From 14–23 April 1951, at Zürich Tiefenbrunnen, the Swiss Transportation Association, under auspices of the Bureau International des Containers (BIC), held a comprehensive international exhibition of container systems, aimed to select the best standards for Western Europe. Represented were France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden; with USA observers. The International Union of Railways, UIC, then standardised a container system for Western Europe called 'Porteur-aménagé', or "Pa-Behälter" / "Pa-containers" (UIC 590), based on the Netherlands' systems of waste disposal containers and 'Laadkisten' ("loading crates") for consumer goods. Used since 1934, these were at first in size, with a maximum gross weight of . Fitted with rollers underneath, these units could be loaded and unloaded by drivers of trucks equipped with a winch and telescoping ramps – without any other handling equipment. This enabled the practice of dropping and picking-up of such containers 'Von Haus zu Haus' ("door-to-door"). UIC 590 became the first pan-European standard after World War II. Its system was adopted in Denmark, Belgium, the