Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

MSC improves lithium battery shipping safety through deal with GSBN

Maritime carrier gains access to blockchain-based digital “safe transportation certificates.”

MSC17009515.webp

Maritime freight carrier MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company today took a step to enhance safety in transporting lithium battery shipments by announcing it would collaborate with Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), a neutral, not-for-profit consortium enabling paperless shipping data exchange.

The move comes as the increasing presence of lithium-ion batteries carried on container ships amid rising misdeclarations of that cargo has become a major concern for the shipping industry, given the risk of fire. 


To mitigate that risk, MSC will integrate its lithium battery shipment booking process with GSBN, thus gaining access to immutable safe transportation certificates that can be shared directly by product safety laboratories over GSBN’s blockchain network. GSBN provides those certificates through connections to China’s top testing laboratories and certification providers, including SICIT and Pony Testing, the firm said. 

In the future, GSBN intends to extend the collaboration to a wider group of certificates, and to expand the network of laboratories to increase the coverage for carriers.

“The unprecedented demand for lithium shipments has introduced new challenges for the industry and those who work in it,” Bertrand Chen, CEO at GSBN, said in a release. “Our aim is through these collaborations is to harness technology to support the global effort to sustainability and mark a new era in shipping safety. As we look ahead, we aim to extend our collaboration to even more shipping lines and certification providers globally to ensure that every journey safeguards lives." 

The announcement came the same week that GSBN said maritime freight carrier ­­Hapag-Lloyd would adopt its IQAX eBL, gaining the ability to issue electronic bills of lading (eBL) over GSBN’s infrastructure. “In a world where global supply chains are increasing in complexity and volatility, there is a greater need for robust digital solutions to address these challenges,” Nilesh Popat, Director, Service Delivery at Hapag-Lloyd, said in a release. “The IQAX eBL over GSBN’s blockchain network offers our customers greater choice, visibility, and control. This enables our target of achieving 100% electronic bill of lading by 2030, which is a critical milestone for us.”

 

 

 

 

Recent

More Stories

A photo of brown paper packages tied up with shiny red ribbons.

SMEs hopeful ahead of holiday peak

Businesses are cautiously optimistic as peak holiday shipping season draws near, with many anticipating year-over-year sales increases as they continue to battle challenging supply chain conditions.

That’s according to the DHL 2024 Peak Season Shipping Survey, released today by express shipping service provider DHL Express U.S. The company surveyed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gauge their holiday business outlook compared to last year and found that a mix of optimism and “strategic caution” prevail ahead of this year’s peak.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screen shot of AI chat box

Accenture and Microsoft launch business AI unit

In a move to meet rising demand for AI transformation, Accenture and Microsoft are launching a copilot business transformation practice to help organizations reinvent their business functions with both generative and agentic AI and with Copilot technologies.


The practice consists of 5,000 professionals from Accenture and from Avanade—the consulting firm’s joint venture with Microsoft. They will be supported by Microsoft product specialists who will work closely with the Accenture Center for Advanced AI. Together, that group will collaborate on AI and Copilot agent templates, extensions, plugins, and connectors to help organizations leverage their data and gen AI to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and drive growth, they said on Thursday.

Keep ReadingShow less
holiday shopping mall

Consumer sales kept ticking in October, NRF says

Retail sales grew solidly over the past two months, demonstrating households’ capacity to spend and the strength of the economy, according to a National Retail Federation (NRF) analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Census data showed that overall retail sales in October were up 0.4% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 2.8% unadjusted year over year. That compared with increases of 0.8% month over month and 2% year over year in September.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of sectors leasing warehouse space

3PLs claim growing share of large industrial leases, CBRE says

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers’ share of large real estate leases across the U.S. rose significantly through the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same time last year, as more retailers and wholesalers have been outsourcing their warehouse and distribution operations to 3PLs, according to a report from real estate firm CBRE.

Specifically, 3PLs’ share of bulk industrial leasing activity—covering leases of 100,000 square feet or more—rose to 34.1% through Q3 of this year from 30.6% through Q3 last year. By raw numbers, 3PLs have accounted for 498 bulk leases so far this year, up by 9% from the 457 at this time last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of global supply chain capacity

Suppliers report spare capacity for fourth straight month

Factory demand weakened across global economies in October, resulting in one of the highest levels of spare capacity at suppliers in over a year, according to a report from the New Jersey-based procurement and supply chain solutions provider GEP.

That result came from the company’s “GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index,” an indicator tracking demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories, and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses. The October index number was -0.39, which was up only slightly from its level of -0.43 in September.

Keep ReadingShow less