In a webinar titled “The Smart Dry Container is Here,” Al Tama, VP Container and Port Solutions at Orbcomm, said that the commercial considerations, digitalisation and technology needed to make widespread adoption of dry container tracking a reality have finally come into alignment.

On the commercial level, carriers have the cash to make the investment. On the digitalisation front, organisations including the DCSA, COA and UN/CEFACT have developed standards that can support APIs for data sharing. In addition, the industry has started to see the value of a large repository of container-level data to “feed digital systems”, as well as manage and mitigate supply chain risks.

On the technology side, telematics has evolved to the point where “price and value have intersected.” Orbcomm can, Tama said, supply a low-cost device that can be installed in less than one minute while meeting key industry needs in the areas of configurability, battery and device lifespan, and breadth of data options while avoiding vendor lock-in through interoperability.

The case for dry box tracking has been made many times before, but Tama noted that Hapag-Lloyd is now moving ahead with the “first ever fleetwide IoT deployment for dry containers.” As WorldCargo News has reported previously, with Orbcomm and Nexxiot as the two container device suppliers named so far, this project demonstrates interoperability at the telematics device level.

Tama noted that the first fleet-wide deployment of remote monitoring and telematics for reefer containers got underway in 2007, and that the carrier involved is now “preparing for IoT on dry boxes as well.” While he did not name the carrier, this is the Maersk deployment that Orbcomm was initially a part of.

There have been many developments in cellular technology, IoT technology and telematics since 2007 and Tama said that today dry container owners can take advantage of devices that are less expensive, future-proof and compliant with industry standards.

Form early 2023, Orbcomm will have a Smart Dry Container device on the market with a 10-year lifespan that uses solar power for fast-charging and energy harvesting to support a configurable reporting profile. Location, door status and impact sensors will be part of the core data set. The device will have Bluetooth connectivity for other sensors that might be required, such as humidity, and is ATEX-certified for safety. Data transmission is primarily cellular, with LTE connectivity plus support for 3G and 2G systems where they are still in use.

Where Orbcomm is promising it will be further along than other vendors in the market, Tama said, is in the area of interoperability. Orbcomm will be offering options including its own platform that “provides visibility on the same screen for reefer and dry containers” regardless of what hardware they use, plus APIs to connect to other systems.

Hapag-Lloyd will start using the first of the new Orbcomm devices this December as part of its fleet-wide dry container tracking system. Tama said other carriers are trialling the system now and it expects to have the system on the market in early 2023.

Orbcomm will presenting its Smart Dry Container at the Intermodal Europe exhibition in Amsterdam on 8-10 November.