MSC Rolls Out Electronic Bill of Lading Globally

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is introducing the electronic bill of lading (eBL) for its customers globally following a successful pilot phase of the independent blockchain platform.

The eBL enables shippers and other supply chain stakeholders to receive and transmit the bill of lading document electronically, without any change or disruption to day-to-day business operations, potentially saving the industry billions of dollars, the Swiss-headquartered container shipping giant said.

The WAVE BL blockchain-based system being rolled out by MSC uses distributed ledger technology to ensure that all parties involved in a cargo shipment booking can issue, transfer, endorse and manage documents through a secure, decentralized network. Users can issue all originals, negotiable or non-negotiable, and exchange them via a direct, encrypted, peer-to-peer transmission. It’s also possible for users to amend documents.

“MSC has chosen WAVE BL because it is the only solution that mirrors the traditional paper-based process that the shipping and cargo transportation industry is used to,” said André Simha, global chief digital and information officer at MSC. “It provides a digital alternative to all the possibilities available with traditional print documents, just much faster and more secure.”

The WAVE BL platform can be used free of charge throughout 2021 for exporters, importers and traders. Users only pay for issuing the original documents, and they do not need to invest in any IT infrastructure or make operational changes in order to use the service.

As a founding member of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), MSC has participated in a number of initiatives focused on driving standardization, digitalization and interoperability in container shipping. The company said introducing an eBL solution is a critical step in the overall digitalization of the industry.

“Traditionally, the shipping industry has relied quite heavily on physical paper documents. And among these, the BL is the most important transport document in international trade,” Simha said. “While there have been attempts to create an eBL solution in the past, we are now in a position to introduce a solution that can pave the way to mass eBL adoption, which will mean significant savings for the shipping industry.”

DCSA research indicates that by achieving just 50% eBL adoption by 2030, the industry could potentially save more than $4 billion per year. In addition, the eBL  eliminates the ‘Document transportation’ factor from the supply chain. Shippers can instantly transfer original and negotiable electronic documents across borders. The solution enables faster document transfers, which in turn, leads to a shorter payment cycle. And electronic processes are far less susceptible to forgery, fraud, loss or human error.

Simha said, “Eliminating paper from the shipping transaction will make every aspect of commercial container shipping better, faster, more effective, more secure and environmentally-friendly.”

Gadi Rushin, WAVE BL’s CEO and co-founder, “Our goal from the very start has been to change the way the world trades by digitizing document workflows while ensuring the highest legal, security and privacy standards. MSC is helping to create a new trade norm that will ultimately affect the rest of the market and save the trade industry billions of dollars.”  

Having worked with WAVE BL on piloting its eBL solution since 2019, MSC said COVID-19 has created an even greater drive toward digitizing the BL. “The global pandemic has restricted human and transport mobility in many places,” Simha explained. “Countless containers have been stuck at various ports, terminals, depots and warehouses around the world because the receiver doesn’t have the original paper BL required to release these goods at their destination.”

Here the eBL addresses a very current need, enabling stakeholders to overcome border restrictions, interruptions in postal services and other pandemic-related disruptions. Shippers can also allow employees to work remotely by dematerializing the BL and other shipping documents.

After running successful pilot projects in select countries since 2019, MSC is now introducing its digital solutions to all customers worldwide, paving the way for widespread eBL adoption. MSC is also exploring other eBL platforms to adapt to market demands.

“Now we’re introducing our eBL solution to our broad customer base to ensure that even more of our customers are able to benefit from the advantages of a digital BL solution. In a matter of a few years, we expect the eBL to become the new norm,” Simha said.