Digital Container Shipping Association Releases IoT Standards for Container Connectivity

Updated: November 17, 2020 (Originally published June 2, 2020)

The Digital Container Shipping Association has published its IoT connectivity interface standards for shipping containers.

The DCSA is a neutral, non-profit group founded by major ocean carriers to drive digitalization in the container shipping industry.

The DCSA IoT Standard for Gateway Connectivity Interfaces includes radio standards for gateways on vessel, on land, at event locations and in handheld devices. It comprises an initial set of connectivity recommendations that are vendor and platform agnostic to reduce investment risk, increase operational efficiency and enable innovation, DCSA said in a press release.

The new connectivity standards are the first of three “Internet of Things” releases addressing the connectivity requirements for reefer and dry containers. Future releases are expected to focus on data structure and handling, physical device specifications as well as security and access management.

Combined, the standards will provide carriers and supply chain with the ability to offer customers relevant information regarding the whereabouts of containers and the status of their contents at any point along the container journey.

“This release is an important step in enabling mass deployment of smart containers and forms the foundation of a group of standards that will address the industry’s most critical container use cases,” said Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA. “Once implemented, our IoT standards will enable, for example, reefer container tracking, monitoring and controlling along the entire container journey, with no connectivity ‘blind spots’.”

DCSA member carriers include  MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, Yang Ming, HMM and ZIM.

“IoT will usher in a new era of efficiency in global trade. Smart containers that share information with multiple stakeholders will facilitate a digitally enabled supply chain. This will greatly increase efficiency and transparency, improve the quality of shipped goods, reduce waste across the board, and raise safety and security levels,” said Maria Rosaria Ceccarelli, Chief of Trade Facilitation Section for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The DCSA IoT Standard for Gateway Connectivity Interfaces can be freely downloaded from the DCSA website.

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