Box tracking takes off – but who owns the data?

Orbcomm's dry container monitoring solution

Last year, Hapag-Lloyd partnered with Orbcomm and Nexxiot to equip its dry containers with tracking devices. Each Orbcomm tracker, costing around $100, features GPS and accelerometers to check the whereabouts of each container. And, although Hapag-Lloyd did not opt for this level of functionality, the system could also be used to measure the internal temperature of each box, potentially saving seafarers’ lives, “for a few dollars more”, according to EVP Christian Allred.

Though smart containers have been ...