A.P. Moller – Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and Ocean Network Express have established the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) in the Netherlands, after gaining regulatory approval from the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in March. Thomas Bagge is the CEO and statutory director of the DCSA.
The association has already started working on enhancing standardization, digitalization and interoperability. To overcome some of the biggest pain-points in the industry, one of the first projects is focusing on standards to overcome the lack of a common foundation for technical interfaces and data.
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In addition, in order to develop another cornerstone for the foundation of the future of shipping, the association is creating an industry blueprint for processes. The work carried out will be for the benefit of the entire industry, as all standards will be openly published, making them available free of charge to interested external parties.
For the first time in twenty years, the container shipping industry has come together with a common goal to move the industry into the digital era. With the regulatory approval in place, we look forward for the association to take up work and to begin to collaborate with multiple stakeholders from the entire value chain
André Simha, CIO of MSC and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DCSA, stated.
The association’s headquarters will be located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, due to the proximity to shipping infrastructure, attractiveness for talent as well as ease of reach. Moreover, André Simha explained the DCSA wanted to be located ‘on neutral grounds, so no specific stakeholders or companies are favored’.
DCSA is now in negotiations with a number of other container shipping lines around the globe who are interested in joining, and preparations for membership of two companies are already ongoing.