Inttra buys Belgian firm that manages empty containers

Inttra Inc., a multi-carrier web pOréal that tracks the status of ocean containers worldwide, said today it has acquired Avantida, a Belgian firm that manages the flow of empty containers for European ocean carriers. Terms were not disclosed.

Based in Antwerp, Avantida specializes in utilizing sophisticated IT systems to re-use and reposition boxes that might otherwise move empty across carrier networks. It is estimated that the global liner shipping industry spends $20 billion a year just to reposition empty containers, an amount equal to about 40 percent of the industry's total handling costs.

Danish carrier Maersk Line, the world's largest liner shipping company by capacity, spends about $1 billion a year, a figure that doesn't include the costs of tracking the boxes, a company executive said last fall at a conference.

The acquisition marks Parsippany, N.J.-based Inttra's first foray into landside container logistics. The company estimates that it tracks about 35 percent of all waterborne boxes moving across the globe.

Avantida serves seven European countries.