Pacific International Lines (PIL) has joined the non-profit organisation, Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), to drive standardisation and digital innovation in the container shipping industry.
PIL and DCSA will collaborate on the development, alignment, and validation of digitalisation standards to increase adoption across the industry.
DCSA standards aim to address needs such as paperless trade, cargo visibility, port call optimisation and equipment management.
Having common and interoperable data standards and legislative conditions across international jurisdictions and platforms will significantly enhance delivery schedules, according to DCSA. They will also reportedly improve the ease of communications and transactions across regulators, banks, insurers, carriers, customers, and stakeholders involved in an international trade transaction.
PIL has been embarking on a wide range of digitalisation initiatives, including the implementation of an electronic bill of lading (eBL) to decrease delivery times, increase efficiency of operations and provide customers with a seamless experience.
An eBL makes document creation, approval, distribution and tracking easier, while reducing potential fraud and eliminating the risk of paper documents being lost in transit.
Switching away from the transfer of physical paper bills of lading could save $6.5 billion in direct costs for stakeholders, enable $30-40 billion in annual global trade growth and ensure the long-term sustainability of international trade, reported DCSA.
Lars Kastrup, CEO of PIL said: “PIL has been actively undertaking digitalisation initiatives and we are pleased to join DCSA to accelerate our journey while growing the industry’s digitalisation capabilities.
“Digitalisation not only increases efficiency and reduces costs, it also cuts down on our carbon footprint and simplifies transactions for all stakeholders.
“Complementing our participation in DCSA, PIL has also been working to incorporate standardisation and governance in our data and processes to enhance the way we work and optimise efficiency.
“For digitalisation to succeed, we need to work together for industry-wide adoption. These comprehensive digital capabilities will help equip international shipping to be more sustainable and future-ready.”
READ: PIL, KPI OceanConnect fully integrate data exchange platform
Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA said: “We are thrilled to welcome PIL to DCSA. As we continue our collaboration with industry partners to advance digitalisation of the container shipping industry, PIL’s participation represents another significant milestone.
“Over the past five years, DCSA and its members have created a digital foundation that allow for industry to improve the customer experience, reduce cost, and help the industry shift towards a more sustainable future.
“We are looking forward to continuing our work with PIL and our other partners to help realise our vision of a fully digitised supply chain.”
Late last year, PIL and DP World signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create green solutions to decarbonise global supply chains.
