Global shipping leader Hapag-Lloyd has implemented an innovative and industry-changing smart container fleet.
Last week, Hapag-Lloyd announced a big step towards digitalization. The company announced that nearly 50% of its container fleet has been outfitted with tracking devices. On October 23rd, Germany’s Federal Minister of Digital and Transport, Dr. Volker Wissing, installed the 700,000th tracking device that turns a standard shipping container into a smart container.
At the ceremony celebrating the milestone, Dr. Wissing said:
“Digitalization offers great opportunities for the transport industry. One sign of this is the progress made by Hapag-Lloyd in building an intelligent container fleet. Such advances not only benefit shipping, they strengthen Germany as a location for innovation and contribute to our vision of a better connected and more efficient transport sector.”
Rolf Habben Jansen, the CEO of Hapag-Lloyd added:
“We are proud to be at the forefront of the digitalization of container shipping. Our ‘Smart Container Fleet’ project is about transforming the industry and setting new standards for supply-chain transparency and customer service.”
With the achievement, Hapag-Lloyd is instantly a leader in smart digitalized shipping.
The recent achievement is a major milestone for its goal of equipping the entire fleet of 1.6 million dry containers with the smart device and to become the only steamshipping line globally with a fully-digital container fleet. The shipping industry giant aims to go fully smart by early 2024. The German carrier is also planning to launch a commercial product to utilize their smart fleet called “Live Position” around the same time.
The solar battery-powered tracking devices, equipped with internal sensors and GPS will transmit data through cell networks in addition to recording shock events and ambient temperature. Hapag-Lloyd claims the devices are explosion-proof according to established standards ensuring safety for crew, cargo and vessels.
This level of visibility is invaluable for shippers, their customers and even for NVOs, enabling them to monitor real-time location of the cargo, anticipate delays and improve supply chain efficiency.
Looking ahead, Hapag-Lloyd’s smart container fleet represents the future of container shipping industry.
It aligns with the shipping industry’s growing emphasis on sustainability, operational efficiency and customer service. We should be expecting further innovations and improvements as the technology matures.
