The Bureau International des Containers (BIC) and the Ship Message Design Group (SMDG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to officially collaborate on a new Global Container Geofence Library.
The MoU was signed on 8 July at the Palais des Nations, the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
It strengthens the new collaborative effort, which seeks to increase the quality and reliability of geofencing data used in the shipping and logistics industries.
The signing took happened at the UN/CEFACT meeting, when a newly released UN white paper on geofencing was unveiled.
The new initiative builds on the success of the Global Container Facility Code API, introduced by the two groups in 2022.
Douglas Owen, Secretary General of BIC, said: “This MoU represents a step forward in our efforts to standardise and improve the accuracy of geofencing data across the industry and helps build a stable foundation for wide adoption of IoT-equipped containers.
“Our continued collaboration with SMDG reflects the industry’s desire to collaborate and to adopt standards that ensure reliable and consistent data for all stakeholders in the supply chain.”
Michael Schroeder, Board Member of SMDG, added: “We are excited to deepen our partnership with BIC. The Global Container Geofence Library is already on its way to becoming a valuable resource for the industry, helping the industry to adopt smart containers and improving the overall efficiency of supply chains worldwide.”
In April, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced its collaboration with the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) to further enhance safety in transporting lithium battery shipments.