Dive Brief:

• A.P Moller-Maersk has launched a new mobile app, enabling shipping customers to track their cargo at any point along the journey, MarineLink reported Monday.
• The app provides push notifications, real time cargo tracking and schedule confirmation as well as possible schedule changes and changes in destination, should they be necessary. 
• The development of the Maersk app supports their goal to provide both paperless and hassle-free shipping.

Dive Insight:

The recognition of the need for greater transparency within the transport shipping industry is nearing its peak.

Openness in a period of upheaval and bankruptcy will continue to be necessary to ease business anxieties. Perhaps such ready access also will aid in the process of securing shippers' peace of mind and thus their continued business at a time when freight rates remain low, lines are consolidating, and differentiation could mean the difference between failure and success.

In just one example, Hyundai Merchant Marine's recent agreement with the 2M alliance sent shippers into an uproar, as some are mistrustful of the Korean line's financial stability. While Maersk was quick to guarantee the shippers' choice of vessel, its strategic release of the mobile app may serve as a means of offering reassurance that cargo is safe regardless of which vessel it occupies.

In addition, a visibility app helps position Maersk in its drive to become a full supply chain provider, as real-time tracking is one of the most sought after visibility solutions by shippers, and is rarely available among shipping lines.