The International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) and the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) confirmed the breakthrough at the ITCO members’ meeting in Antwerp, announcing that the ITCO Digital Committee has reached a key milestone: real‑time tank container data is now accessible in BoxTech.
ITCO members Stolt Tank Containers and Bertschi have already uploaded several hundred units, complete with inspection certificates, to demonstrate how carriers can retrieve the information they need online or via API.
Ocean carriers are now being invited to join a pilot programme beginning in early 2027 to test the new approach in daily operations. Before accepting a tank container for shipment, carriers must confirm it is safe for transport by checking specifications and inspection certificates.
Today, that process is largely manual, with details requested by email, attachments opened and checked, and data rekeyed into internal systems. Some carriers estimate the process takes half an hour per tank, with additional time required for operators to gather and send the information.
With tank container data held centrally in BoxTech, verification becomes immediate. Carriers can check a tank online or receive the data directly into their systems by API, eliminating email exchanges and manual entry.
The initiative, developed jointly by ITCO’s Digital Committee and BIC, harmonises the attributes used to describe tanks and forms the foundation of the ITCO Digital Twin. The first use case is efficient onboarding, with later phases extending towards a full digital passport for each tank.
BoxTech, free to use and open to all operators, already holds data on more than 15 million containers and supports over 6,000 users worldwide. Operators and carriers interested in joining the 2027 pilot can contact douglas.owen@bic-code.org or hicks@itco.org.
