MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Co has joined the list of carriers to roll out remote monitoring for its global reefer fleet.

The Geneva-based line said iReefer is the most advanced on the market allowing customers to receive “real-time insights into their reefer shipments, including information on position, temperature and humidity”.

“The launch of iReefer marks another milestone in MSC’s digital journey, to develop digital solutions that streamline the shipping process and deliver real-time insights to support supply chain management,” said MSC.

iReefer has already been connected to more than 210,000 of MSC’s reefer containers, while technology has also been made compatible with over 500 vessels.

MSC will offer three iReefer packages depending on shipper requirements, including at its most basic level “iReefer Essential”, which is available to customers now, offering insight on current and historic shipments and journey logs. Two premium packages, iReefer Pro and iReefer Ultimate, will go live from March 1. iReefer Ultimate is designed for high-volume shippers and connects directly with their systems via an API.

MSC plans to launch the services across its global fleet of vessels and containers in the coming years.

Under its existing portfolio of digital products, MSC already allows customers to monitor dry cargo consignments through “MSC Smart Containers”.

Despite MSC having the largest capacity of refrigerated containers among liner operators, shipping more than 1m chilled boxes each year, it is one of the last of the key players to roll out so-called smart container technology to its reefers.

Smart reefers have proven popular among shippers not just for the real-time visibility of cargo, but also in helping reduce costs through cargo spoilage, damage and insurance claims.

MSC’s former 2M alliance partner Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, Evergreen, Cosco and CMA CGM, to name a few, all have smart reefer technology available to customers.