Shipping giants Maersk and CMA CGM have been quick to utilize the new functions of BoxTech that aims to help shippers save time and enable equipment owners to register container sales and flag units with exception alerts.
The fast-growing database, which is provided by the Bureau International des Containers (BIC), already includes the technical characteristics of more than 30% of the global container fleet.
One new function of BoxTech allows owners to indicate in the database when containers have been sold.
This will alert anybody, or any system, searching for a container which has been sold that it is no longer part of that company’s fleet. This aims to help prevent improperly-marked containers from circulating with the markings of their previous owner, improving safety, reducing risk and helping to encourage the proper neutralization of sold containers.
This functionality is already being used by leading ocean carriers CMA-CGM and Maersk Line, both of which have uploaded their entire global container fleets to the database and are now flagging units whenever they are sold.
“CMA-CGM was an early adopter of BoxTech and Maersk one of our more recent, but both clearly understand the value of a central, non-profit information source and both have provided leadership to the industry,” said Douglas Owen, Secretary General of the BIC.
“Both have provided input that has been instrumental in developing new ideas and updates for BoxTech, in particular the new container sales function.”
Ingrid Uppelschoten Snelderwaard, Head of Equipment at Maersk, said: “Maersk is on a journey to integrate and simplify global supply chains, so we are in full support of the neutral BoxTech database as a tool to help improve transparency and efficiency in the industry.
“The new container sale function offers additional clarity, showing a clear dividing line between our current fleet and containers that have been sold. We appreciate that the team at BIC continues to innovate to bring new tools to benefit the industry”.
Another new feature, the new BoxTech Recovery Alerts system enables container owners to create alert lists to flag specific units in case of bankruptcies and other recovery situations, such as lost or stolen units. It can also inform users whenever a special status exists for a given unit.
“CMA-CGM was one of the earliest supporters of BoxTech, so we are happy to see how it has grown over the past year,” says Philippe Berard, Equipment & Depot Senior Manager, from CMA-CGM.
Berard added: “We are especially pleased with the new container sale flags function, as this allows us to clearly indicate when containers have been sold and are no longer our responsibility.
“We also appreciate the exception alert flags, which will help provide much-needed visibility and information to trading partners in case of special situations.”
Source: Porttechnology
You might be interested in
