Successful trials for Secured by CargoTrax
A joint German-Finnish container security system passes tests in the South China Sea
This may not yet be the equivalent of the seal of approval, but we soon see shippers proclaiming the products they ship to be “Secured by CargoTrax.” CargoTrax, a satellite-based container tracking technology jointly developed by Finnish company CargoTrax Oy (formerly MobinTeleCom Oy) and German company TriaGnoSys (with headquarters in a town named Oberpfaffenhofen), has just completed its sea trials. The trials, conducted in the South China Sea this March, were verified by the STET Maritime Bureau and the organization said they were successful. The system’s black boxes were interrogated several thousand times during the trials, with a high success rate.
The company says that Secured by CargoTrax combines military-grade precision with existing standards-based technology, answering the needs of both shippers and government security services. They also note that the system adds less than 2 percent to the cost of container rental, when the insurance premium discounts are taken into consideration.
CargoTrax will be commercially available in late 2007. The system uses RFID-based container door eSeal which transmits a “heart-beat” pulse in regular intervals via satellite to control centers, both on the ship and on the ground. If the seal is compromised, an alarm signal is transmitted immediately, together with information about changes in temperature, humidity, vibration, light, volumetric pressure, and the levels of oxygen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
