Container Shipping

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…

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…

Refrigerated containers spend a large portion of their in-transit time at sea, where managing them poses a series of challenges. Crews are often unable to complete regular checks because of heavy workloads, unfavorable sea and weather conditions and the size of the vessels themselves. Furthermore, traditional reefer telematics rely on cellular communications that lose connectivity…

Thousands of container industry executives descended on Rotterdam this November for the annual Intermodal Europe show. Attended by container shipping lines, leasing companies, equipment manufacturers, technology suppliers and container service providers, this year’s edition was the busiest we have seen in the last three years, with a stronger focus than ever before on digital technologies…

When Maersk deployed their Remote Container Management (RCM) initiative in 2016 by outfitting all 270,000 of its refrigerated containers with ORBCOMM telematics devices, it set off a chain of events that would begin the transformation of the entire reefer shipping market landscape. At the time, Maersk Line CCO Vincent Clerc hailed smart containers as a…

Tracking and monitoring technology is hardly a novel idea when thinking of the future of containers, but recent trends and technical advancements have accelerated an industry shift towards the increasing use of sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) telematics devices and applications in the supply chain. Over the next several years, we can expect to see…

Intermodal innovator UNIT45 is helping big name shippers like HP and Friesland Campina to take advantage of the New Silk Road linking China and Europe with a new breed of 45ft temperature-controlled containers optimized for long-distance rail operations. And it has turned to ORBCOMM’s CargoWatch® IoT telematics and cloud platform for essential remote monitoring and control…

Holland Container Innovations is on a mission to tackle the wasteful cost and environmental impact of empty container transport with its 4FOLD foldable container. And ORBCOMM telematics are now an integral part of the solution…   The humble ocean freight container has changed very little since it was first introduced over half a century ago….

Maritime history is usually divided into separate eras: the Age of Navigation, the Age of Discovery, the Age of Sail, the Age of Steam and the Rise of Steamships and Motorships. During this time, innovations such as steering oars and rudders, navigation by the stars, the keel, the triangular sail, maritime engines and the chronometer…

As supply chains become more complex and globalized across road, rail, water, ports, and yards, it is more important than ever for shipping lines to have end-to-end visibility of their containers and the cargo they carry from the point of origin to the final destination, and everywhere in between.  Full transparency is especially mission-critical for…