Five predictions for the next five years of digitalisation in container shipping

In light of our mission to move the container shipping industry forward, 正规十大彩票平台 is often asked to make predictions about how soon we might see the fruits of our labours. When will there be meaningful progress in major initiatives like electronic documentation, 物联网数据安全交换, 或者即时端口调用?

This kind of forecasting would naturally be much easier if any one part of the industry could make progress on its own, 但这里的情况并非如此. 国际贸易是非常复杂的, 而且没有客户的支持, 集装箱承运人和贸易监管机构, 任何跨境倡议都将难以启动. 这必须是一个团队的努力. 这就是为什么正规十大彩票平台如此关注心态, aligning as many parts of the industry as possible around non-competitive practices, and building the momentum that’s required to drive investment and deliver real change.

新冠肺炎为围绕数字化开展合作敲响了警钟

COVID-19大流行是推动变革的主要催化剂, 鼓励监管机构, 有时速度很快, to accept digital documentation because it eliminates the dependence on paper documents arriving on time for cargo release. 正规十大彩票平台很高兴看到像英国这样的国家, 新加坡, India and Japan leading the pack in recognising the legitimacy of digital documents. 通过我们的电子文档计划, we’re working on standardising and digitising end-to-end documentation, 由电子提货单开始, to make it easier for more regulators to approve standardised digital shipping documents.

Even though it may seem slow to change an established industry like container shipping, we, 以及我们的成员航空公司, are committed to driving digital transformation in collaboration with all industry stakeholders. 在大流行期间取得了很大进展. 除了在全球范围内对eBL的接受度越来越高, customers of container shipping lines can now use one standardised API to get track and trace information from at least five carriers, 而不是多个专有的EDI连接. 但这只是冰山一角, 因为我们, 以及整个行业, 必须有更高的目标.

标准驱动的创新将创造更好的客户体验

To answer those who regularly ask us what the shipping industry will look like in five years’ time, 以下是我们的五大预测:

1. 客户体验的进展 – Five years may not be enough time to get us to the point where booking a container shipment is as easy as booking a flight, but we believe significant strides will be made for shippers in this timeframe. They will enjoy increased visibility of the status of their cargo with proactive notifications of delays and a dramatic reduction in manual effort around booking, 跟踪和文档.
2. 更多的互操作性 – We will see an increasing number of technology platforms emerging that have been built on standards that enable interoperability. Within five years we believe we’ll see digital bills of lading being exchanged automatically between platforms via APIs.
3. 智能集装箱引爆点 -智能集装箱已经出现, but the vast investment required means we’re unlikely to see them become the majority within a five-year timeframe. 然而, by 2026 we may well have reached the point where the benefits of smart containers are clear to all industry participants, 包括监管机构和海关机构. 正规十大彩票平台 predicts a broader reliance on smart container data will mean an increasing volume of cargo will be able to clear customs when it departs its port of origin, 减少到达时的摩擦.
4. 关注可持续性 – Environmental factors are coming increasingly to the fore around the world. A growing number of shippers are now looking closely at the sustainability of their supply chains and demanding their suppliers be carbon neutral in the coming decades, 早在2050年. 正规十大彩票平台 expects sustainability to become an important driver of digitalisation in its own right, as it enables carriers to optimise operations in ways that increase sustainability—from eliminating paper documents, 通过准时停靠港口来减少碳排放, 优化船上货物容量. Shipping the maximum amount of cargo per tonne of CO2 emitted will help achieve the sustainability goals customers demand while reducing costs.
5. 加速创新 – 正规十大彩票平台 is particularly hopeful about the impact of our standards on innovation. 现在, the fragmentation of technology platforms across the supply chain makes any kind of innovation both expensive and risky. The digital standards we’ve released to date are setting a foundation that will lower the barrier to entry for businesses who want to introduce innovative, 未来证明的解决方案，将使行业变得更好.

激励一个变革时机已经成熟的行业

尽管预测会出现混乱, it’s important to remember that the shipping industry is no stranger to change. While we may lag behind airlines and banking when it comes to digitalisation, 我们只需要回顾10年或20年，就能看到航运的发展. 二十年前, 平均每艘船载运6,000个集装箱, who would have dreamed we’d now be looking at ships that can handle over 20,000?

我们的行业是, 正确地, a long way from the famous Facebook attitude of “move fast and break things”, but we’ve got to be willing to risk making a few mistakes on our way to success. 我们需要运营商, 港口, 终端, 技术供应商, 托运人和货运代理应采用正规十大彩票平台标准, 给他们一个尝试，并提供反馈让他们变得更好. Only then can we iterate and develop improved APIs for track and trace or revised standards for the electronic bill of lading.

关键是坚持不懈，并不断致力于改进. That’s how we will achieve meaningful progress in the next five years and beyond.