transport logistic 2017

•••9••• Branchennews T he database of container technical details launched by the Bureau International des Con- tainers (BIC) has been loaded with the details of more than 3 million containers. With the Internation- al Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 3-month relaxed enforcement pe- riod for new container weighing rules having come to an end, the database continues to grow. Launched in July 2016, the BIC’s BoxTech Technical Characteristics Database (TCD) supports ship- pers, carriers, leasing companies and container owners following the introduction of new SOLAS mandatory container weight veri- fication requirements, based on the International Maritime Or- ganization’s Convention “Safety of Life at Sea” (SOLAS). There is no charge for ocean carriers and container leasing companies to upload fleet details to the data- base, which now has more than 500 registered users around the world. New container details are added to the database each week. Simple to use The database makes fulfilling the recently introduced SOLAS re- quirements easier for Method 2 shippers, which is especially im- portant now that the IMO’s pe- riod of leniency has come to an end. However, in addition to those benefitting from automated ac- cess to tare weights for SOLAS VGM declarations, many users are also signing-up for easy access to container size and type, and oth- er technical characteristics. Sim- ple to use, the BoxTech database provides fast, automated access to reliable data. It is available to use either via a website or an API, which provides the option to au- tomatically integrate data into us- ers’ systems. Either method helps to improve efficiency by enabling shippers, forwarders, terminals, carriers and leasing companies, as well as rail operators, haulers and insurers, to avoid the unnecessary manual administration related to sourcing and capturing details. “We developed the pilot database in close partnership with contain- er owners, operators and ship- pers to ensure it would meet their needs and minimize disruption as the new SOLAS requirements came into force,” says Douglas Owen, Secretary General of the BIC, the international organiza- tion supporting the container industry with 2,100 container owner/operator members in 120 countries. “Now, four months on, we’ve found that there is a tremendous amount of interest in the supply chain which goes beyond SOLAS, both in terms of safety and improved efficiency.” BIC will constantly improve the BoxTech TCD. “In speaking with BoxTech users we’ve found that many aspects of the supply chain can be made more efficient when participants have easy access to data. They are telling us that hav- ing data in a single location makes great sense and that they want to move away from manual re- keying of data,” Douglas Owen concludes. The BIC supports the international container industry with multiple registration data- bases and provides the BoxTech Technical Characteristics Data- base on a non-profit basis. About the BIC Founded in 1933 as a neutral, non- profit, international organization, the BIC has over 2,100 members in 120 countries. It has played an im- portant role in the growth of con- tainerization, with its active role in the development of industry standards and its appointment by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the glob- al container prefix registry. Easy access to container specifications BIC BoxTech Database improves efciency and simplies SOLAS compliance The new BIC BoxTech Database allows easy access to technical details of millions of containers worldwide. Photo: Bernd Sterzl / pixelio.de LOSTnFOUND (Deutschland) GmbH Maximilianstr. 32 80539 München Tel: +49 (0) 800 0 563 563 E-Mail: welcome@lostnfound.com inkl. SIM-Karte weltweite Ortung keine Hardware Kosten 6 Monate Laufzeit * z z g l . M w S t . / M i n d e s t l a u f z e i t 6 M o n a t e €/Monat /Einheit *