Hapag-Lloyd and other maritime operators have announced the launch of Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN). It is a not-for-profit joint venture with various maritime industry operators including; CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping Lines, COSCO Shipping Ports, Hapag-Lloyd, Hutchison Ports, OOCL, Port of Qingdao, PSA International, and Shanghai International Port. The GSBN aims to accelerate the digital transformation of the shipping industry.
As part of the agreements, each signatory commits to provide resources to support preparatory work required to establish the GSBN. The preparatory work includes obtaining all necessary regulatory, competition and antitrust approvals required for the establishment of the GSBN. CargoSmart will provide software solutions and services to the GSBN once it is formed.
“We are focused on offering our customers the best choices for their supply chain needs. Once it is established, the GSBN will work, with its JV structure and strong carrier and terminal participation, to increase efficiency in cross-network operation for the benefit of the various stakeholders in our industry”, said Martin Gnass, Managing Director IT Technology at Hapag-Lloyd.
The GSBN intends to provide a platform for all shipping supply chain participants to work collaboratively to improve technology and develop solutions through trusted and secure data exchange platforms. Current signatories are shipping lines and terminal operators however, other participants in the shipping industry may wish to join the GSBN or benefit from the solutions it develops. In addition to establishing a data governance framework, once it is formed the GSBN will also consider and lead the development of a roadmap of use cases, data access APIs, and applications.
The signatories of the GSBN Services Agreements plan to complete the establishment of the GSBN in early 2020, subject to obtaining all requisite anti-trust, competition and regulatory approvals. The signatories are open to feedback from the shipping community to enable the GSBN to offer solutions based on market need. In the interim, as part of the process of preparing for the formation of the GSBN, CargoSmart will run pilot applications that test the viability of the GSBN and the potential for the GSBN to offer unprecedented value to all supply chain participants.
Source: Hapag-Lloyd
