Hapag-Lloyd introduces real-time monitoring for its entire fleet of 3 million TEU containers

The German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has announced that it will equip its entire container fleet with real-time tracking devices in order to play a pioneering role in the use of this technology.

Hapag-Lloyd introduced real-time monitoring of its reefer container fleet of around 100,000 units for the first time in 2019. Due to the success of the "Hapag-Lloyd LIVE" programme, the company has decided to equip its entire fleet of standard containers with a capacity of around 3 million TEU with tracking devices.

According to Hapag-Lloyd, the IoT devices will be able to transmit data in real time, contributing to a more transparent and efficient supply chain. In addition to GPS-based location data, the technology will be able to measure temperature and watch out for "sudden shocks" to the container, the company said. Based on customer feedback, further sensors could be added via Bluetooth in the future.

Hapag-Lloyd has significantly expanded its container fleet in response to the strong demand for containers during the pandemic, adding 210,000 TEU of standard and reefer containers since 2021. Hapag-Lloyd is the fifth largest liner shipping company in the world.