International. An article published in the Journal of Commerce details the new opportunities represented by the Internet of Things in the maritime community.
According to the article, the refrigerated food transport sector is currently growing and is projected to grow by 4% per year until the end of 2020. In this challenging context, ship owners must relay information to food producers. Some regulations, such as the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), require traceability and evidence that containers are capable of transporting food products within certain temperature ranges.
Complying with these regulations involves constant monitoring and manual inspections. Industry leaders estimate that 59% of claims for transporting food shipments are the result of malfunctioning refrigerated units, poor documentation, or incorrect temperature set points.
Benefited cargo owners (BCOs) now require real-time information regarding their cargo. Internet of Things (IoT) or machine-to-machine (M2M) telemetry devices can be installed in containers. The information is transmitted by satellite to various destinations to allow remote monitoring.
According to the article, approximately 20% of the 1.5 million reefers are equipped with M2M telematics. Some doubts in the industry could result from expensive and unreliable communication networks.
Source: Journal of Commerce
