Port of Rotterdam Authority introduces track & trace containers

The Port of Rotterdam Authority launched 'Boxinsider' today. The application allows shippers and freight forwarders to see where their containers are located at any given moment. Not only is this much more reliable than the approach used until now, it is also much more user-friendly and efficient than collecting information yourself from all kinds of sources.

'When I order a book online, I can almost follow the package live,' explains CEO Allard Castelein. 'With Boxinsider, we are now presenting a similar solution for containers. By developing digital applications, we are making our port even more efficient, safer and more reliable. Solutions like Boxinsider are good examples of this transition and so they are a perfect match with our ambition to be the world's Smartest Port.'

Time-consuming and error-prone

Most shippers, freight forwarders and other users still collect information manually from a range of websites about where their containers are located. That is time-consuming and error-prone. It can also cause planning errors and have costly consequences. Boxinsider puts an end to all that. Drawing on status information from container vessels and inland and deep-sea terminals, it can track containers, and determine expected and actual arrival and departure times for vessels, as well as container unloading and departures at container terminals. Users are warned about any delays or disruptions.

Clear picture

ABC Logistics from Poeldijk is one of the 'launching customers' and it has seen the benefits of the system. 'Boxinsider gives us - quickly and with minimal effort - a clear picture of the containers that we can expect at the various Rotterdam terminals,' says account manager Remco Verwaal. 'It really is a very user-friendly application.'

Boxinsider works as a stand-alone application but it can also be integrated with existing systems using a link.