Are There Better Alternatives To Ghana's Cargo Tracking Notes System On The Horizon?

Whiles controversy rages on in Ghana, over the latest wheeze dreamt up by the vested interests milking Mother Ghana dry, over the so-called cargo tracking notes system (CTN) - that is apparently going to more or less end revenue leakage at our ports - an innovative experiment is taking place elsewhere, which indeed could end revenue leakage, and also end the pilfering of the contents of shipping containers, at ports across the world, in the not too distant future.

That will indeed be the case in our country, in the not too distant future, if the authorities in charge of Ghana's maritime sector, request to collaborate with the Japanese shipping company, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), which has just revealed that its group company MOL Consolidation Service (MCS), has tested a remote container tracking management system.

Ghanaian importers and exporters who are criticising the introduction of CTN should contact Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd, as soon as practicable, to ask for more information about their experimental cargo tracking system - and offer that as an alternative to the CTN they object to so much, and which now appears to have been forced down their throats by the powers that be. The authorities in Ghana ought to take a good look at Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' new system, even as the CTN becomes operational at our ports.

To serve as inspiration for those in Ghana, who genuinely want revenue leakage (and the pilfering of the contents of shipping containers) at our ports to end, today, we have culled content from Port Technology entitled: "MOL Launches Container Tracking System", for their perusal. We also hope many of our brilliant younger generation Ghanaian readers will enjoy reading it too.

Please read on:
"Port Technology MOL Launches Container Tracking System

12 Oct 2018 09.46am
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced that its group company MOL Consolidation Service (MCS) has tested a remote container tracking management system.

The successful trial transport of containers, equipped with a tracking management device, took place on railway routes connecting China and Europe.

The device, which is mounted inside the container, monitors cargo in transport using a number of technologies, such as GPS, a temperature gauge and an optical sensor.

Information on the cargo, including its location and temperature, can be transmitted to the customer through an email or a mobile application.

Ennio Zanotti discusses GPS as a smart way to track goods in a recent Port Technology technical paper

According to a statement by MOL, the device can also “monitor unauthorized opening and closing of the container during transport”, protecting the safety of cargo.

In addition to this, the tracking device’s 70-day battery life makes it suitable for long-distance transport.

MOL plans to begin the practical use of this system before the end of 2018, and will install them in containers upon the request of customers.

The device, by allowing them to monitor their cargo, is expected to help reassure customers that shipments will arrive on time and be safe from pilferage.