In a webinar titled ‘The smart dry container is here’, Al Tama, VP, Container and Port Solutions at Orbcomm, said that the commercial considerations, digitalisation and technology needed to make widespread adoption of dry container tracking a reality have finally come into alignment.

On the commercial level, carriers have the cash to make the necessary investment. On the digitalisation front, organisations including the DCSA, COA and UN/CEFACT have developed standards that can support APIs for data sharing. In addition, the industry has started to see the value of a large repository of container-level data to ‘feed’ digital systems, as well as manage and mitigate supply chain risks.

On the technology side, Tama said that telematics technology has evolved to the point where “price and value have intersected”.

He said that Orbcomm can supply a low-cost device that can be installed in less than one minute while meeting key industry needs in the areas of configurability, battery and device lifespan, and breadth of data options, while avoiding vendor lock-in through interoperability issues.

The case for dry box tracking has been made many times before, but Tama noted that HapagLloyd is now moving ahead with the “first ever fleet-wide IoT deployment for dry containers”. As WorldCargo News has noted previously, with Orbcomm and Nexxiot as the two named suppliers of container devices so far, this project demonstrates interoperability at the telematics device level.

Tama noted that the first fleetwide deployment of remote monitoring and telematics for reefer containers got under way in 2007, and the carrier involved is now “preparing for IoT on dry boxes as well”. While he did not name the carrier, this references the Maersk Line deployment that Orbcomm was initially a part of.

There have been a lot of developments in cellular technology, IoT technology and telematics since 2007, and Tama said that dry container owners can now take advantage of devices that are less expensive, future-proof and compliant with industry standards.

From early-2023, Orbcomm will have a Smart Dry Container device on the market with a 10- year lifespan that uses solar power for fast-charging and energy harvesting to support a configurable reporting profile. Called the ‘CT 1000’, the device’s location, door status and impact sensors will be part of the core data set. The CT 1000 will have Bluetooth connectivity for other sensors that might be required, such as humidity, and is ATEX-certified for safety. Data transmission is primarily over cellular, with LTE connectivity plus support for 3G and 2G systems where they are still in use.

According to Tama, it is in the area of interoperability that Orbcomm is promising it will be further along than other vendors in the market. The company will be offering options, including its own platform and APIs, for data sharing. Orbcomm’s own portal will provide “visibility on the same screen for reefer and dry containers”, regardless of what hardware they use, said Tama.

Hapag-Lloyd will start using the first of the new Orbcomm CT 1000 devices in December as part of its fleet-wide dry container tracking system. Tama said that other carriers are trialling the system now and Orbcomm expects to have it on the market in early-2023. 

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This complete item is approximately 560 words in length, and appeared in the November 2022 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 18.  To access this issue download the PDF here