94 organisations currently actively involved/have agreed to participate
In a follow up to their January announcement, A.P. Moller-Maersk and IBM last week announced the creation of TradeLens, jointly developed by the two companies to apply blockchain to the global supply chain. TradeLens, the result of a collaboration agreement between Maersk and IBM, is a blockchain-enabled shipping solution designed to promote more efficient and secure global trade, bringing together various parties to support information sharing and transparency, and spur industry-wide innovation.
As part of the TradeLens early adopter programme, IBM and Maersk also announced that 94 organisations are actively involved or have agreed to participate on the TradeLens platform built on open standards. The TradeLens ecosystem currently includes:
- More than 20 ports and terminal operators across the globe, including PSA Singapore, International Container Terminal Services Inc, Patrick Terminals, Modern Terminals in Hong Kong, Port of Halifax, Port of Rotterdam, Port of Bilbao, PortConnect, PortBase, and terminal operators Holt Logistics at the Port of Philadelphia, join the global APM Terminals’ network in piloting the solution. This accounts for approximately 234 marine gateways worldwide that have or will be actively participating on TradeLens.
- Pacific International Lines (PIL) has joined Maersk Line and Hamburg Süd as global container carriers participating in the solution.
- Customs authorities in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Australia and Peru are participating, along with Customs brokers Ransa and Güler & Dinamik.
- Participation among beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) has grown to include Torre Blanca/Camposol and Umit Bisiklet.
- Freight forwarders, transportation and logistics companies, including Agility, CEVA Logistics, DAMCO, Kotahi, PLH Trucking Company, Ancotrans and WorldWide Alliance are also currently participating.
TradeLens uses IBM Blockchain technology as the foundation for digital supply chains, empowering multiple trading partners to collaborate by establishing a single shared view of a transaction without compromising details, privacy or confidentiality. Shippers, shipping lines, freight forwarders, port and terminal operators, inland transportation and Customs authorities can interact more efficiently through real-time access to shipping data and shipping documents, including IoT and sensor data ranging from temperature control to container weight.
Using blockchain smart contracts, TradeLens enables digital collaboration across the multiple parties involved in international trade. The trade document module, released under a beta programme and called ClearWay, enables importers/exporters, Customs brokers, trusted third parties such as Customs, other government agencies and NGOs to collaborate in cross-organisational business processes and information exchanges, all backed by a secure, non-repudiable audit trail.
