HONOLULU — Ocean shipping firm Matson, BNSF Railway, and heavy-duty lock maker War-Lok will partner to enhance security for intermodal shippers, an effort set to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The program will provide two new layers of security at no cost to customers, Matson said in an annoucement this week. The first will see Matson use War-Lok security devices on every international container moving from Los Angeles to destinations on the BNSF network, including Chicago, Memphis, and Dallas. The second layer will place all Matson containers in the lower well of double-stack container cars from Los Angeles to Chicago, and to cars moving to select eastern locations beyond BNSF’s interchange point.
“Matson has a long history of industry leadership and pioneering customer focused innovation, and this is the latest example,” said Matson Chief Commercial Officer John Lauer. “We’re raising the bar with what we believe to be the most comprehensive carrier–led intermodal security program in the market — setting a new standard for cargo protection. …
“While no security system can eliminate all risk, these added measures significantly reduce exposure to theft and reinforce Matson’s commitment to protecting customer cargo throughout the inland journey.”
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
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I hope the War-lok they are using has been improved from the ones we used. Hit it good in the middle with a hammer and it unlocks. Easier to open than a padlock.
Any “extra security measures” that don’t include arresting, prosecuting, convicting, and incarcerating thieves are useless.
Wouldn’t be a problem if trains were moving instead of sitting in place for hours and days. Another “benefit” of PSR.
Badly needed are more stringent laws on such theft, also including shoplifting, to give those guilty required jail sentences. Regardless of amount stolen.
Does Matson pay extra for ‘lower level service’?
Apparently not or I am sure they wouldn’t have proposed it. What it does mean is that other containers will be unloaded before theirs’s, so if that is not a problem bigger than what they are losing in theft, then all the container companies will be happy…except when a customer needs something thing NOW and they can’t get to it because it’s sitting underneath someone else’s container, probably JB Hunt or CMA-CGM. That’s when Matson will find out where they really rate… I think that is where Greg’s comments make more sense. Keed the trains moving and there will be no or very reduced theft or they can start carrying security cans on top staffed with men carrying Guns, like on stage coaches in the old west, spaced every 10 cars or so and having monitored CCTV cameras wo they can quickly respond. Of course then the bad guys could respond with rocket propelled grenades to blow up said security cars. They could build stands and sell ticket along the right away for that show… lol.
Thanks for all those memories and nostalgia, Vincent R. Saunders. In 1968, I hired out with E-L Rwy at Hoboken, NJ for a ~2 year stint as a RR cop before transferring over to RR telecom work for E-L, Conrail,1982 NYS&W Signal Dept, SPRR, and UPRR telecom, for the next 40 years until my 2010 retirement from UPRR MW, UHF, VHF telecom in Southwestern NM.
During that first 2 year E-L Rwy PD tenure at/near the Hoboken- Jersey City Palisades, protecting non-intemodal interchange traffic from then NYC West Shore line from Weehawken to E-L Rwy’s Pavonia St RR Yard was quite challenging in protecting 5 MPH interchange drags along the Palisades from gangs of kids that knew how to uncouple undetected, slow 5 MPH yard limit trains while moving, and then breaking into reefers for frozen foods. It was quite a wild west event. Shortly afterwards, IIRC, that Palisade interchange line was converted as a southerly NYC RR West Shore extension with new interchange construction for the newly merged Penn Central RR, connecting the West Shore line to the former PRR catenary mainline to and through Jersey City to the PRR Meadows Yard (and beyond) near Harrison, NJ. That non stop, but still somewhat slow speed PC Jersey City merger connection helped to reduce those thefts along the Palisades.
Another hot-spot theft location nearby was on that former catenary PRR/PC mainline interchange with E-L Rwy Croxton Yard at the American Can Co. location at State Street in Jersey City, where it was quite common to receive interchange box cars with broken seals after theft of contents. It was important to catch those violated box cars upon arrival in order to pass the buck of responsibility back to PRR/PC.