Getting the most accurate predictive ETA of your ocean shipments now powered by Machine Learning
By Fotini Tseroni
September 30, 2022
Monitoring container shipments throughout the ocean comes with great uncertainty.
We are a little past the halfway mark of 2022, and multiple bottlenecks keep disrupting the global supply chains, affecting almost every stage of the transportation plan up to the cargo delivery.
Container tracking has become an even more complex process, often causing headaches to supply and logistics professionals.
Of course, everyone who is involved in the movement of goods via ocean carriers and ports knows that there always going to be challenges and unexpected delays.
As the world becomes more interconnected, the need for accurate and up-to-date information on global shipping movements becomes ever more important. Businesses rely on this information to make more informed decisions, save time and money.
The key here is to understand and use the right data and tools to simplify this complex environment, monitor the supply chains and identify potential risks. This can be achieved through real-time visibility of the cargo shipments and the ability to get accurate predictions when needed.
At MarineTraffic, we’ve been working hard to help shippers, freight forwarders and logistics service providers get the most accurate information about containerised cargo shipments to every stop until the destination port.
We are excited to announce that our Visibility for Containers solution has now been enhanced with Machine Learning (ML) capabilities to provide next-level container tracking visibility.
Our container tracking solution fuses Track & Trace, vessel schedules, and AIS intelligence, while utilising Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to predict more accurately the shipment’s time of arrival at the final port of discharge.
Related: Real-time online container tracking with MarineTraffic
The Machine Learning models applied in the MarineTraffic Visibility for Containers solution, consider historical vessel movements that MarineTraffic has observed throughout the last decade, and are blended with AIS observations of the exact current vessel position and state.
Also, we are using our own calculated Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) information which is based on the forecasted route and average vessel speed. We also consider the vessel’s captain reported ETA through AIS, the ETAs reported based on vessel schedules by all carriers that share capacity on the specific vessel, as well as the Carrier’s Track & Trace ETA.
Related: 10 questions to ask when selecting a provider for ocean predictive ETAs
All this information is considered to provide the most accurate prediction of arrival and help customers with fast decision-making grounded in reliable data. Access to this leads to time and money saving, and also improved customer service.
Additionally, MarineTraffic Visibility for Containers is the only solution that provides complete visibility of the full sea transportation plan, including transshipments as well as via stops of the vessels.
These are all the data and insights that logistics decision makers are looking for to turn complexity into clarity, effectively monitor shipments and improve forecasting and planning.
“Our Visibility for Containers solution is not just a track and trace aggregator. It performs consistently better than the Carrier’s Track & Trace ETA*, based on the analysis of our data sample of real cases,” says Ioanna Babali, Product Marketing Manager at MarineTraffic.
“This is also validated by our customers in a survey we have contacted recently. More than 80% responded** that by using MarineTraffic solutions they can have access to a more accurate ETA and better supply chain visibility, which is helping them to get more informed decisions.”
We believe that the future of container visibility is in real-time powered solutions.
Through real-time and carrier-independent data that has proven its accuracy, supply chain professionals can achieve a steady level of visibility and remove uncertainty from container tracking.
* Based on the analysis of a sample of over 1500 shipments tracked in July 2022
**Based on a survey contacted in September 2022 with over 100 responses from current MarineTraffic customers
