Container tracking, as a key element in the maritime transport industry, has evolved from basic questions about current location to more complex questions such as arrival times and potential costs. For cargo owners, transport companies, and terminal operators, the reliability of scheduling is highly variable, and bottlenecks may close within a few days.
Definition and Importance of Container Tracking
Container tracking means monitoring the status and location of a container while moving from ships, terminals, and inland transport. This process encompasses the time from booking at the origin to exiting the gate at the destination. Companies use this system to safeguard delivery commitments, manage inventory, and plan warehouse capacity.
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Challenges in Container Tracking
There are several terms in this area that are often used interchangeably, but each refers to different topics. Ship tracking, container tracking, and cargo tracking are three terms that refer to different aspects of this process. The mismatch between various identifiers is one of the main sources of tension in the flow of information between transport companies, forwarders, and internal systems.
On a larger scale, existing weaknesses in tracking systems manifest cumulatively. For example, each major shipping line such as MSC, Maersk, and CMA CGM has its own portal where their information is presented in different formats and with different naming conventions. This situation causes a team managing five companies to effectively handle five parallel workflows that have no connection with each other.
Moreover, due to informational limitations when crossing the ocean, carrier updates are mainly event-based, and there may be little information between departure and arrival times. As a result, estimated time of arrival (ETA) is rarely reliable, and schedule changes, port traffic, and weather conditions can have significant impacts on them.
According to industry estimates, costs related to demurrage and maintenance, along with lost time in busy ports, amount to billions of dollars annually. One study shows that in 2021, carriers incurred nearly $321 million in additional costs for operating cargo that was inactive.
Data Sources in Container Tracking
Container tracking relies on three main types of data: information reported by the carrier, the physical status of the ship, and events occurring at the terminal. Each of these sources answers different questions and has its own strengths and weaknesses. Carrier tracking systems provide reservation information, container events, and scheduling updates, but due to time and scope limitations, updates may be received several hours or days after the physical event occurs.
Ship tracking data is obtained using the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows ships to independently transmit their identity, location, and speed. Additionally, port and terminal data record gate entry events, loading, and unloading, confirming that a physical event has actually occurred.
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