The eCommerce surge is shaking up the shipping industry, making speed and efficiency a must. The time has come to move beyond paper and towards widespread adoption of the game-changing electronic Bill of Lading (eBL).
Mediterranean Shipping Company - MSC’s Global Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), Andre Simha will explain more at an upcoming event - TradeTech Europe 2022, during the eCommerce week, organised by the United Nations agency - UNCTAD.
Rapid growth of eCommerce
eCommerce has skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
eCommerce has skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to lockdowns, travel restrictions and health concerns, more and more people are shopping from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
The result is a surge in demand for shipping, port and intermodal transport services, which in turn has triggered disruptions and congestions in global supply chains. Amid this uncertainty, one thing is for sure: the need for efficient, digitised processes and data sharing has never been greater.
MSC’s eBL solution paves the way for paperless trade
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is pushing the digital transformation of shipping with its electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) solution, launched one year ago in April 2021. Offered via a secure block-chain platform, MSC’s eBL solution helps to avoid the cumbersome steps involved in filling out, checking and exchanging paper shipping documents, which is a time-consuming and inefficient process. This innovative solution also helps to protect against human errors, fraud and document loss.
Crucially, it’s much faster than the traditional process, too. The electronic Bill of Lading (eBL) solution can reach its intended recipient within moments, as opposed to days or weeks. This helps with logistics organisation, enables shorter payment cycles and even leads to cost savings.
Urgent need to collaborate and embrace DCSA standards
To make initiatives, such as the eBL solution a success, widespread adoption is the key and that depends on cross-industry collaboration. The Digital Container Shipping Association (DSCA) is a neutral and non-profit association focusing on driving standardisation, digitalisation and interoperability in container shipping.
One of the key activities of the DSCA is to create industry-wide standards
One of the key activities of the DSCA is to create industry-wide standards, in order to enable frictionless sharing of digitised shipping data. However, to successfully implement these standards, there is an urgent need for all stakeholders of the global supply chain to contribute – and among them customs and government authorities, thus fostering a culture of trade facilitation.
MSC’s Andre Simha to offer key insights
André Simha, MSC’s Global Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), and Chairman of the Digital Container Shipping Association, will be taking part in a panel discussion, during eCommerce Week - 2022: Data and Digitalisation for Development.
This special event will take place, simultaneously, at the United Nations (UN) Office at Geneva, Switzerland and online from April 25 to April 29, 2022, organised by UNCTAD, in collaboration with eTrade for all and partners.
Tune in from 11:30 - 13:00 CEST on April 27, 2022, in order to watch the panel discussion and hear Andre Simha’s insights into why data and digitalisation solutions are the key to improving logistics operations for ecommerce.
