The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has launched its Adopter Programme, which enables solution and service providers to validate adoption of DCSA standards based on the DCSA Self-certification Checklist (SCC).
The DCSA Adopter Programme will enable customers of container shipping as well as other industry stakeholders to streamline vendor selection when seeking standards-based, interoperable solutions, according to a statement.
Organisations that have adopted a DCSA standard can complete the corresponding DCSA SCC, which reflects requirements for successful integration of a DCSA standard into a product, facility or service.
“The Adopter Programme is our starting point for creating clarity around what constitutes successful standards adoption,” said Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA. “DCSA standards adopters now have a way to self-validate and publicly demonstrate their status as a leader in digital transformation. For shippers and freight forwarders, the programme will help them short-list solutions designed to interoperate based on DCSA standards.”
The first standards to be available for the Adopter Programme are the DCSA Standard for the Bill of Lading 1.0 (part of the DCSA electronic documentation initiative) and Track & Trace 1.2, while checklists for other DCSA standards suitable for the Adopter Programme will be added in the future.
Any organisation in the market for solutions or services can request evidence of DCSA standards adoption in an industry-wide standard format (the DCSA SCC) when issuing RFIs, RFPs and tender requests. In turn, vendors responding will be able to provide pre-filled documents along with the outputs of DCSA API tools demonstrating their adopter status, said DCSA in its announcement.
DCSA has also published the DCSA Adopter Programme Handbook aiming to inform organisation about the programme.
European Shippers’ Council (ESC) has welcomed the new DCSA programme with its strategic relations manager, Jordi Espin Vallbona noting that “The work DCSA is doing is necessary to move the industry toward greater visibility and reliability for our members and shippers around the world.”
“We are thrilled to see that they’ve launched a free program for anyone who wants to publicly demonstrate adoption of their standards. This will make it easy for our members to choose carriers, freight forwarders, solutions providers and other stakeholders that offer standards-based services and solutions,” he added.
Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry) of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, commented, “In our recent call-for-proposal to pilot and adopt electronic bills of lading, we identified DCSA’s standards on data and processes relating to bill of lading preparation and issuance as a set of relevant guidelines for carriers and technology solution providers to adopt.”
