Posts by Al Tama

The ongoing disruptions snarling global maritime container trade and supply chains have driven home the acute need for better visibility into the location and status of container cargo and equipment moving through the system. Nowhere is this more important than in the refrigerated container trades carrying vital supplies of perishable food, pharmaceuticals and medicines, including vaccines, across the world.   The recent logjam at the Chinese Port of Yantian hit reefer shipments hard, with major ocean carriers advising that a percentage of refrigerated cargoes will be diverted–in some cases…

As a global leader in industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for supply chain assets, cargo and infrastructure, ORBCOMM welcomes the new IoT connectivity interface standards for monitoring refrigerated containers on-board vessels published December 18 by the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA). Remote visibility and control of refrigerated containers at sea has been a focal point for…

This article was originally published in Ports & Harbors Magazine  Increased digitalisation and data analysis can bring the maritime sector a wealth of benefits provided that companies are willing to work together to progress towards a shared goal, says Al Tama, vice-president and general manager, container and port solutions/technology at ORBCOMM  The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has thrust digital technology into the spotlight…

At the beginning of June, the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) released a set of IoT standards for container connectivity that usher in the era of smart containers and greater visibility along the supply chain. This builds upon the track and trace standards established in January, and will lead the container sector to adopt the…

As a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, ORBCOMM welcomes the new IoT connectivity interface standards for shipping containers published by the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) this week that will allow stakeholders to track their container assets at every step of the journey, increasing operating efficiency and end-user value. “The new DCSA…

The COVID-19 crisis has hit world maritime trade and supply chain operations with unprecedented scale and speed. Now more than ever, visibility is crucial to keep shipping, ports and cross-border trade flowing as efficiently as possible and equally to help supply chain ecosystems become more resilient, resistant and responsive to this and future shocks  From…

As we highlighted in two extensive ORBCOMM reports during the last quarter of 2019 – the Next Phase of IoT in Shipping Digitalization: Data Interoperability, Integration & Intelligence and Disrupting the Cold Chain: 5 Key Takeaways from Cool Logistics – work is now gathering pace within the global container shipping industry on the development of open standards…

Container shipping today is surely not a business for the faint-hearted. Industry debates at recent international shipping and intermodal logistics events drove home several harsh realities: Sea freight is moving more slowly and unreliably than ever before Ship, container and other intermodal transport assets are far from optimally utilised Trade growth is fragile and uncertain…

The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has released its first standards for data flows – an important first step in the process of ending the fragmentation that is holding back the development of digital technologies in the industry. In an announcement at the beginning of September, the DCSA, which was only officially established in April…