Taiwan Customs together with its partner GS1 Taiwan has expanded the RFID initiative atthe country’s major ports to include active RFID. The Cargo Movement Security project launched in 2009 to investigate the use of an automated, RFID-based electronic seal (e-seal) system (see Taiwan Customs Officials Adopt RFID-enabled Container Seals), in an effort to eliminate the need for Taiwan Customs officers to escort containers from carrier yards to container terminals. Work on the project will continue through 2012, so that Taiwan Customs can upgrade the RFID e-seal system’s capabilities and fully extend it to import, export, transit and trans-shipment containers located at the island’s major ports.

The initial project involved EPC Gen 2 RFID; the team plans to add active RFID e-seal technology by the end of this year, for security management of in-land transportation. The Taiwanese government wants to leverage both active and passive RFID tags at all ports in Taiwan, in order to better ensure cargo and container safety, while reducing costs to logistics and shipping firms. E-seals incorporating active RFID technology and complying with the ISO 18185 e-seal standard will be used for the trans-shipment of containers between the country’s Keelung and Taipei harbors, as well as for air cargo at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and at a terminal located outside the airport’s restricted area. In addition, GS1 Taiwan and the Taiwanese government have submitted a new RFID passive e-seal candidate standard to EPCglobal. Source: RFID Journal