When it comes to the global trade, then in 90% of the cases the mode of transport that is chosen is ocean freight shipping. In this, large volumes of the goods are packed into the containers and then it is shipped using the cargo ships.
It is one of the most economical, efficient and environmentally viable mode of transportation especially if large volume of goods need to be moved. Moreover, ocean shipments are a lot safer as compared to the other shipping modes that are available.
But at the same time, it is a space that is very unpredictable. Likewise, there is no visibility on a continuous basis once you go beyond the port. Additionally, international standards, dealing with suppliers or vendors as well as volatility of the market can be a concern.
So, in this article, we would talk about how ocean shipment container can be tracked.
Some of the major players who tend to use ocean shipment container are the manufacturer who are looking to ship the cargo. The next once is the shipper/hauler who is hired by the manufacturer for cargo transportation. The last one is the cold chain logistics provider whose job is to manage the shipment on manufacturer behalf by using the shipper services.
The shipping of ocean freight can be done in two ways i.e. LCL shipping and FCL shipping.
LCL shipping is basically chosen when the shipment is not very large such that whole container can be occupied. Hence, container is shared with various other shippers as well. Through this method, moderate ocean cargo volume is transported. The following method is used to cut down on the transportation cost as you just need to pay for the container space instead of paying for the whole container. One of the advantages of this shipping method is that it can tackle the availability problems that you may face during the peak seasons.
On the other hand, in FCL shipping, large cargo volume is transported. They are a lot more costly as compared to LCL shipments as you have to pay for the whole container. One great advantage of this shipping method is that it is fastest shipping mode as no shared containers are present. Hence, there won’t be any kind of contamination risk.
Besides this, the risk of damaged cargo is also eliminated as in this method cargo is handled only during loading and unloading. Hence, there is hardly any chance of delay when the goods are transported through FCL.
In ocean shipping, containers are used for transporting the goods from one place to another. These types of container are designed specifically such that they can be used in a seamless manner in all transportation modes across the globe. The best part is that the following types of shipping containers are standardized such that they can be used for intermodal transport. Hence, they can be transported anywhere easily.
Also, container management is one of the crucial aspects when it comes to intermodal shipping. The reason is that it helps to save a lot in terms of cost and hence it can provide you with better efficiency in the supply chain sustainability process.
Moreover, containers can be quite difficult to manage in the case of intermodal settings. The data is scattered and hence logistics team faces a lot of difficulty to manage the movement of the container. Thus, decisions of supply chain as well as day-to-day operations gets difficult.
This can further lead to inefficient utilization of container, lost containers, detention costs as well as higher demurrage. So, this is where ocean container tracking comes into play.
Lot of changes takes place in technology, safety compliance, equipment inspections, cyber security regulations etc. So, at the global level can cause a lot of affect when it comes to the sea- based transportation.
There can be instances when the demand can gets increased and thus the need of global transportation is constantly increased. Hence, it is important that the resources which are available are managed in the right manner.
The changes that take place in the international politics could indirectly/directly cause an impact on transportation and shipping. Besides this, the changes that take place in the various countries can cause a lot of impact. Some of these can be changes in restrictions, regulations as well as fluctuations in demand supply of that country.
In ocean shipping, you may have to deal with tax increments, rising costs, data expenses, detention fees and demurrage. So, if you wish to keep the cost in check, it is important that containers are optimized correctly.
There is a common situation in which ocean cargo might fall overboard. Other risks that cause loss of cargo are bad weather, unpredictable sea nature, ocean theft, shipment contamination or spoilage etc. Due to all of these, profits, carrier growth, reputation of the shipper etc. can be put into risk.
Once your container sails into the ocean, then it can be difficult to know its exact location. So, in order to deal with it real-time supply chain tracking needs to be used. Moreover, if you leave the container without tracking it, then it can turn out to be quite risky for you.
Moreover, if intermodal shipments are used then imagine not getting information regarding containers being rerouted or are held in congestion. It is important that containers are watched at last mile, first mile as well as in between. The reason is that a lot of business and climatic challenges take place.
Also, a lot of changes have taken place in the ocean shipping industry. Hence a number of good options are made available in the cargo shipment tracking systems. These include smart containers, GPS container tracking devices, and integrated business intelligence systems.
Some of the most common container tracking options that are made available is smart containers, data aggregators and GPS container tracking.
Data aggregators are perhaps the service providers who analyze and aggregate the data from various data streams. The problem is that all of these data may not be helpful. The reason is that data condition, end to end visibility as well as port level visibility is not provided.
So, with data aggregators, you may not know proper details regarding the shipment. Moreover, if the shipment is compromised, then you may not know until it reaches the destination.
These are containers that come alongside with in-built communication equipment and sensors. By the help of this, the shipments can be tracked in the real time.
With GPS tracking devices, all the problems associated with ocean shipment can be overcome easily. Thus, a GPS container tracker can be used at the shipment level, container level etc. It totally boils down to the goods that you are transporting.
Above are the ways through which the ocean shipment container can be tracked. So, if you are looking out for ocean shipment container tracking software, then Tive can be a good option for you. You can contact us to know more details of the tracking software.