Hapag-Lloyd will equip its entire container fleet with real-time tracking devices.  After successfully introducing real-time monitoring for its reefer container fleet in 2019 with the IoT product Hapag-Lloyd LIVE, the company will start to install newly developed devices to all standard containers of its three million TEU fleet. Hapag-Lloyd continues to further digitalize container shipping and Hapag-Lloyd LIVE will become available for customers of its standard containers during 2023.

“Going forward, we will be able to provide all our customers with real-time track and trace data, giving them full visibility of any container movement worldwide. We will be able to detect delays earlier, inform impacted customers automatically and initiate counteractions at an early stage. We firmly believe that our real-time tracking approach will not only be beneficial for our customers but be a game changer for the entire container shipping industry”, says Maximilian Rothkopf, COO of Hapag-Lloyd.

The devices will be able to transmit data on a real-time basis from each container and by this make the supply chain more transparent and efficient. They can supply location data based on GPS, measure temperature and monitor any sudden shocks to the container. In future, additional sensors could be added through Bluetooth. To ensure safety for crews, cargo, and vessels the devices are designed and certified to the ATEX Zone 2 explosion proof standard. The company will continue to work together with key customers to develop and expand the product and its features based on their feedback.

The shipping container monitoring device integrates the latest energy harvesting technology and low-power consumption techniques to ensure ultra-long lifetimes with high-frequency data sending. The container fleet will be equipped with devices both from established TradeTech partner Nexxiot AG starting this summer as well as with devices from ORBCOMM, a global leader in Internet-of-Things solutions, starting later this year.

“It is our vision to build the world’s smartest container fleet and to provide valuable information to our customers at the frequency they need” states Olaf Habert, Director Container Applications at Hapag-Lloyd. “Working with the most advanced companies for global-scale IoT applications will help us to equip our container fleet as fast as possible. This is what our customers now require and increasingly expect so they can manage their complex supply chains better.”