Maersk needed the ability to track containers…

Following the initial signing of a two-year contract in September 2016 with BigOceanData for the supply of vessel tracking services, in early 2018, Maersk extended and expanded the contract for another 30 months to cover three times the original number of vessels and nearly double the number of users. 300 vessels are also now in the process of adopting BigOceanData’s integrated SSAS service.

Over the past 36 months the BigOceanData vessel tracking system has successfully been used to track Maersk Line’s fleet using fused data feeds. This is where the BigOceanData system takes Maersk’s own vessel data received via Fleet Broadband and combines it with satellite and terrestrial AIS, all backed up by ‘pay‐as‐you‐go’ Inmarsat‐C. This delivers a service capable of providing position reports every 10 minutes both in open ocean and coastal waters. Maersk can then apply this information to optimise the performance of the fleet. This service is now covering up to 2,000 vessels carrying Maersk cargo and is accessed by up to 500 users.

BigOceanData is fully integrated into Maersk Line’s own back office systems, automatically receiving updated daily vessel lists, using a vessel’s latest position to calculate ETA at next port, monitoring speed against predefined parameters and alerting if certain parameters are out of expected tolerances. The enhanced data set is electronically forwarded to relevant parties for analysis and action. This enhanced data is used for schedule analysis as well as vessel performance.

Maersk has also signed up 300 vessels for BigOceanData’s integrated SSAS option, which is now fully operational. This delivers cost savings by aggregating position data and so reducing satellite data costs.

Stephan Martinussen, Head of GVPC at Maersk commented: “This contract was awarded following a competitive tender, and we are pleased to welcome BigOceanData as a supplier to Maersk Line. We were impressed by the BigOceanData system during the evaluation process. It delivers a wide range of functionality and at the same time offers an interface that will integrate with our own systems with minimal disruption and maximum effectiveness. We also welcome its ability to combine multiple inputs within a single system which improves overall end-user experience.”

“We are pleased to be extending our relationship with BigOceanData,” said Stephan Martinussen, Head of Global Vessel Performance Centre, at Maersk Line. “The system has performed well since its introduction and we continue explore its integration potential and the cost savings that can be derived from it.”