When you’re going through international cargo transportation, either by air freight or ocean freight, you need to understand the importance of tracking your goods. The primary benefit of tracking your shipping containers is that it will help you know the real-time location of the shipment. This way, you can establish the expectation of your clients and customers and inform them about any possible delays.
Apart from that, the tracking process will also help you plan the next stages of your supply chain as well as the delivery schedules of your business. Due to the introduction of new technologies and innovative tracking tools, you can track the position of your cargo easily. If you don’t know how to track your shipment, here are the top 3 great ways you need to remember.
AIS Vessel Tracking
AIS is one type of automated tracking system. As per IMO, AIS is known as automatic identification system. This type of tracking system is fitted to the ships so that they can provide information regarding their position. This tracking tool is also effective at providing other information to coastal authorities and neighboring ships. Ships that are equipped with an AIS vessel tracking system can be tracked easily by the AIS base stations. They gather data to develop a real-time picture of global shipping traffic.
There are multiple AIS tracking options where you can enter the name of the vessel carrying your shipment to get the necessary tracking information such as:
- Local time
- Current Position
- Current Port
- Status
- Latitude/Longitude
- Distance Travelled
- Total Voyage Distance
- AIS Source
- Time to Destination
- Nearby Vessels
If you want to track your cargo shipment smoothly without any problem, you can use the DF tracking method to know the real-time location of your cargo.
GPS Tracking
If you want to track your air or ocean cargo shipment more effectively, you can attach a wireless GPS device along with the container. These devices are extremely effective at providing real-time location of your shipment from the starting point to the destination. Here are a couple of things you need to remember:
- GPS is primarily dependent on network connectivity and signals. These signals might get disconnected for a couple of minutes when the cargo starts moving.
- If you’re choosing air freight, the airline might not approve the GPS device. This is because most GPS devices contain Lithium-Ion that is known as a hazardous material for air freight.
- As ocean freight shipments take a long time to reach the destination, the battery of the GPS will be exhausted. This might affect the updates from the GPS.
Shipping lines that own shopping containers can also install a great GPS tracking system to their shipping containers. These advanced GPS systems are extremely good than the normal GPS.
Personal Monitoring
You can also travel along with the vessel or flight containing your shipment. This way you can monitor the shipment as well as the condition of your shipping containers all by yourself. This will also help you supervise your shipping containers personally and ensure their safety. However, keep in mind that the journey might get long and uncomfortable. You can also hire some professional or trusted personnel for this job.
Conclusion
These are the top 3 great ways to track your international cargo. Remember that the real-time tracking of your shipment is extremely crucial. Therefore, don’t make any mistakes while tracking your cargo or installing GPS devices.