In 2014, the TT Club insurance firm found contamination to be the leading cause of incidents involving tank containers. As supply chain pressures have surged recently, the risk profile for tank containers has evolved. The TT Club’s 2022 survey reports 36% of tank container insurance claims as impact-related, signaling a shift from contamination.
Asset intelligence solutions offer relief by enhancing tank container management, safety, and efficiency.
The Purpose of Asset Intelligence Solutions
Asset Intelligence solutions are a critical component in modern supply chain management, particularly in relation to tank containers. These advanced systems leverage technology to offer real-time tracking, monitoring, and analytics, which provide valuable insights into the status and condition of assets. These capabilities enable operators to proactively manage their resources, ensuring that cargo is transported efficiently, safely, and in compliance with regulatory standards.
Real-time tracking and monitoring are at the core of these solutions. With the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and sensors, operators can get real-time data on the location and condition of their tank containers. This kind of real-time visibility not only helps in maintaining the quality of the goods but also allows for the immediate resolution of any issues that might arise, reducing potential losses and delays.
How Asset Intelligence Helps Companies Overcome Tank Container Transportation Challenges
Asset Intelligence solutions play a vital role in supply chain operations, particularly in the management of tank containers. Here are some of the most important ways it helps companies overcome transportation challenges:
- Improving Safety When Transporting Hazardous Loads
Asset Intelligence solutions play a critical role in enhancing the safety of tank containers, especially when transporting hazardous loads, including flammable liquids, gasses and corrosive substances. By utilizing advanced technologies such as real-time monitoring, these solutions can identify potential risks before they manifest into serious incidents, effectively improving safety and minimizing harm to the environment and personnel.
Sensors attached to the containers can monitor a range of parameters, including temperature, humidity, and shock. This is crucial when transporting hazardous materials, as any significant deviations in these parameters can indicate potential risks. For instance, a sudden temperature spike in a container carrying flammable materials might suggest a fire hazard. With real-time monitoring, operators are alerted instantly to these abnormal conditions, enabling them to take swift corrective actions.
Moreover, with the integration of IoT technology, Asset Intelligence solutions can automate safety protocols in response to detected threats. For example, if a severe shock is detected in a container carrying hazardous chemicals, an automated safety protocol might involve sending emergency alerts to nearby response teams, activating built-in fire suppression systems, or initiating immediate shutdown procedures. This level of automation not only accelerates response times but also reduces the reliance on manual interventions, thereby further enhancing the safety of tank containers transporting hazardous loads.
- Real-Time Reporting of Impact Incidents at Maritime and Intermodal Terminals
In 2022, a 600-meter-long freight train hit a convoy of stationary railcars at a container terminal in Herne, Western Germany. Fortunately, no one was injured, but 15 to 20 loaded containers were destroyed.
Such incidents not only compound safety issues but also cost tank container operators significantly in liability claims.
According to international freight insurance specialist TT Club, there has been an increase in impact incidents when tank containers are handled at maritime and intermodal terminals.
Terminal volume increases have added congestion and pressure on operators handling equipment, changing the risk profile of damage to tank container units. However, with Asset Intelligence, operators can be promptly informed about impact events via precise shock detection, providing complete visibility over impacts that occur in transit, including high-impact events and shocks that may otherwise go unnoticed.
The ability to identify patterns in specific ports and regions allows for faster response times when accidents occur, making operations safer and more efficient.
- Reducing Inefficiencies
According to a TT Club report, when incidents involving tank containers occur, it’s often because critical information hasn’t been passed on to various stakeholders – highlighting the need for accuracy in data, instructions and documentation.
Each stakeholder in the transport chain has a duty to warn other stakeholders of any known dangers concerning the cargo being shipped. Ambiguity or poor communication can be an attributing factor to accidents involving tank containers.
For example, suppose a stakeholder fails to report dangers associated with the cargo being shipped, and an impact incident occurs, resulting in delay or damage. If tank operators cannot identify the precise moment an impact incident occurs, they are potentially liable for the cost of any delay or damage to cargo.
Asset Intelligence can help reduce these inefficiencies by providing modern cloud-based software tools combined with real-time monitoring hardware. This offers complete visibility with real-time reports, alerts, and notifications on the position, movement, and condition of assets and cargo.
Features like geofencing provide operators with instant notifications about arrivals and departures at key locations.This allows operators to see when assets are idle, moving, or loaded to optimize fleet efficiency and identify any mishandling of assets.
Throughout a tank container’s journey, Asset Intelligence solutions ensure every stakeholder is connected across the transport chain, fostering better communication of crucial information, enhancing efficiency, and improving safety and decision-making.
Nexxiot offers solutions to enable real-time visibility with tank containers
Asset Intelligence reduces uncertainty and enables more efficient and secure cargo and asset transportation. But not all technology is well suited to the environmental, safety, and logistical demands placed on tank containers travelling thousands of miles and sometimes across global shipping lines.
Nexxiot’s solutions are designed to meet rigorous industry standards to ensure dependability while providing visibility into the location and conditions of a tank container from anywhere in the world, 24/7. Our clients receive data when needed, act exactly when needed, and learn and adapt from detailed insights.
Nexxiot’s ecosystem, made up of self-sustaining hardware and Connect Intelligent Cloud, is where it begins.
