Hapag-Lloyd said it will equip its entire container fleet with real-time tracking devices after introducing real-time monitoring for its reefer container fleet in 2019.

The Danish shipping giant said with the IoT product Hapag-Lloyd LIVE, it will start to install newly developed devices to all standard containers of its three million TEU fleet.

Part of digitalisation push

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," said Maximilian Rothkopf, COO of Hapag-Lloyd. "We will be able to detect delays earlier, inform impacted customers automatically, and initiate counteractions at an early stage."

Rothkopf noted that Hapag's real-time tracking approach will not only be beneficial to its customers but be a "game-changer" for the entire container shipping industry.

The shipping line said the devices will be able to transmit data on a real-time basis from each container and this makes 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 the 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.

Hapag Lloyd said it will continue to work together with key customers to develop and expand the product and its features.

It noted that 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.

World's smartest container fleet

"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," said Olaf Habert, director of 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 an increasingly expect so they can manage their complex supply chains better," he added.