Container Shipping

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…

With the Hanjin bankruptcy now official, the crisis serves as a reminder that when shippers of any cargo engage with great global container cold chains, ‘caveat emptor’ must be observed. Containerization, 60 years old in 2016, has done more for world commerce than any free trade deal, The Economist famously observed in 2013. But shippers…

Digitization of global container supply chain operations is upon us and big data from IoT devices will play a critical role. Early adopters of IoT-connected ‘smart containers’ are starting to reap the first fruits of the new digital economy, reporting tangible reductions in operating costs and better insight into the real causes of waste, loss,…

Ships. Dry containers. Reefer boxes. Tank containers. Chassis. Gensets. Tractors. Port and rail cranes. Mobile loading and handling equipment. The global container supply chain is literally awash with assets. From a 20,000TEU mega-ship, to a lift truck moving containers round a terminal, to a reefer box carrying perishable produce half way round the world, each…