Good carrier initiative on digital standards

【Good carrier initiative on digital standards】5 of the largest carriers are going to establish an association to develop digital standards in the container shipping industry. This is an initiative which has genuine transformative potential should it prove successful.

The initiative is not intending to develop or operate any digital platforms, but is rather focused on the “boring” but highly necessary topic of standards.

As the container shipping industry ventures deeper into its digital transformation, it is becoming apparent to all that we will be facing a landscape with a multitude of different digital tools and solutions. In order to harness the true potential it is therefore necessary to be able to easily interconnect all these different systems – and this requires a fundamental agreement on basic standards.

Standards are not a source of competitive advantage for any single stakeholder in the industry, but the lack thereof leads to an unconnected patchwork of solutions benefiting neither the carriers nor the shippers.

The formal launch of the new initiative is scheduled for early 2019 subject to any applicable regulatory requirements – one can only hope that the relevant competition authorities sees the initiative for what it is and does not hinder its establishment.

Furthermore, one would hope that many more stakeholders will decide to join the initiative, as a successful establishment of such standards will act as a genuine catalyst for the development of digital tools in the container shipping industry.

From Lars Jensen, CEO, Partner at SeaIntelligence Consulting