Hapag launches Live Position, first dry container tracking product

Hapag-Lloyd announced the launch of Live Position, its first dry container tracking product.

"Customers can now enjoy full transparency on the location of their shipments – from the start of transportation until the arrival at the destination," says an official release. "By being the first container shipping line to introduce a fleet-wide dry container tracking product, Hapag-Lloyd is demonstrating its commitment to deploying pioneering Internet of Things (IoT) technology in logistics on a large scale. More than two thirds of the dry container fleets have already been equipped with tracking devices. Installations continue globally to catch the last boxes during the summer."

Maximilian Rothkopf, COO, Hapag-Lloyd says: “The Live Position product will contribute to our service quality and increase the ease of doing business with us. It does close the blind spots of global logistics, enabling real-time decision-making and risk mitigation for our customers while allowing a more efficient steering of our fleet of boxes.”

Henrik Schilling, Head, Global Commercial Development, Hapag-Lloyd adds: “The participants of our successful pilot phase have already acknowledged that we are going the extra mile to eliminate one of their greatest concerns. Now we would like to take all our customers on this journey to further develop this product. We are currently working on feeding the tracking data into the customers’ operational systems via API. Another milestone for advancing the product will be the estimated time of arrival (ETA) prediction.”

Key features of the initial basic product Live Position include a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use search functionality by container, booking number or in batches. The tool provides customers with a quick overview of their shipment’s current location, allowing them to make any necessary adjustments in real time, the release added.

Lars Jensen, leading container shipping industry expert, posts on LinkedIn that the "product offers four things to contemplate: