Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) announced Friday that its group company, MOL Consolidation Service (MCS), has successfully completed the trial transport of containers equipped with a remote container tracking management device on railway routes connecting China and Europe.
The device, mounted inside the container, makes it possible to monitor cargo in transport using various equipment such as GPS, a temperature gauge and an optical sensor, MOL said.
Such cargo information as location, temperature and humidity can be transmitted to the customer via email or smartphone, MOL said, adding that the device is lightweight and compact and has a battery life of 70 days.
MOL said customers can:
• Track the location and route of cargo in real time using GPS.
• Monitor vibration, temperature and humidity inside the container during transport.
• Monitor unauthorized opening and closing of the container during transport with an optical sensor.
MCS conducted trials on three railway routes from central and south China to Europe (Ningbo-Poland/Ningbo-Germany/Shenzhen-Poland) in cooperation with a Chinese railway company and customers. The devices successfully transmitted periodic updates to the MCS server on the cargo position and conditions on all three routes, from the place of receipt to the final destination, the company said.
Starting this fall, the company plans to start practical use of the devices, installing them in containers upon customer request.