MSC Mia sistership MSC Isabella
A 50% adoption of usage of electronic Bills of Ladings by shippers in the next 10 years could save the container shipping $4bn in costs annually.
Despite this significant cost saving estimated by the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) the adoption of the e-Bill of Lading remains in its infancy.
The idea of an a digital or e-Bill of Lading has been around for the better around 30 years, however, difficulties in moving paper documentation around the world with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year is finally starting to drive adoption in container shipping.
Andre Simha, Global Chief Digital and Information Officer for MSC, “The pandemic has brought an urgency to the digital development like the bill of lading as the cargo in ports couldn’t be gated out because paper was stuck somewhere due to air freight delays. With the world situation it has accelerated the need to digitise these documents."