Rotterdam Port Rolls-out Container Tracking App

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has launched a new container tracking application Boxinsider allowing shippers and freight forwarders to locate their containers at any given moment.

Boxinsider draws on status information from container vessels and inland and deep-sea terminals, tracking containers and determining arrival and departure times for vessels, as well as container unloading and departures at container terminals. Users are also warned about any delays or disruptions.

"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."

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.

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.