Maersk Line announced the launch of the “Remote Container Management” system, aiming to ease operators’ access on information about the reefer’s current location, temperature and atmospheric conditions inside, as well as the power status, at all times and no matter where it may be in the world.
Meanwhile, Maersk Line’s Remote Container Management experts are to manage the container, either remotely or through notifications to local technicians if a hands-on fix is required.
By providing visibility of a refrigerated container’s location and atmospheric conditions inside throughout its journey, the system offers operators high level understanding of their supply chain, particularly for very sensitive, higher value refrigerated cargoes, so that they can make decisions about their supply chain as their cargo moves, according to Vincent Clerc, Chief Commercial Officer for Maersk Line.
The technology behind the system is relatively simple. A GPS, a modem and a SIM card on all 270,000 of Maersk’s refrigerated ‘reefer’ containers enables location, temperature, humidity and power status readings to be continuously collected and stored. That information then reaches operators and Remote Container Management global support teams via satellite transmitters, on 400 of Maersk Line’s owned and chartered ships.
Remote Container Management provides information, not just during the ocean transport, but throughout the journey of the container.
For example, if a reefer is not being pre-cooled as agreed at the farm, the user can easily see this in the temperature graph on their screen and can contact or follow up with the supplier and the farm. Likewise, if a truck driver or port worker turns off the power to the reefer, this will be visible.
In the unlikely event that the container malfunctions and local technicians are not able fix it, Remote Container Management’s automatic notifications give time to notify their affected customers and plan alternatives, such as unloading the container at an earlier port for a discounted sale.
“We expect we will see an increase in our traditional perishable reefer volumes like agriculture as a result of Remote Container Management, but also new opportunities in sectors like pharmaceuticals where there is also a need for the kind of supply chain integrity Remote Container Management provides”, added Anne Sophie Zerlang, Head of Reefer for Maersk Line.
