Digital transition: ONE steps up eBL game

February 26, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

Singapore-based container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) is about to adopt the Digital Container Shipping Association’s (DCSA) electronic bill of lading (eBL) standard, Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) said.

GSBN, a not-for-profit consortium providing a blockchain network for paperless trade, has revealed it is working closely with ONE on the eBL standard adoption to accelerate the latter’s customers’ adoption of eBL.

As explained, adopting new digital solutions is often time-consuming and costly for customers, since different carriers will typically operate within their own systems with varying processes related to their documentation. This fragmentation often leads to inefficiencies and increased complexity for customers coordinating international shipments with different carriers.

ONE intends to continue its adoption of the DSCA standard, including the new standard issued in December 2024, for eBLs issued over GSBN’s infrastructure. This development allows customers to manage eBLs from multiple carriers on a single platform and using the same identity, simplifying onboarding and significantly improving workflow efficiency.

“We envision a future of paperless international trade and are actively developing eBL solutions to provide … efficient customer experience. This focus on innovation will drive operational efficiency, strengthen collaboration with our ecosystem partners, and deliver added value to our customers,” Kosuke Wada, Executive Vice President of ONE, said.

“As the industry adapts towards an era of increasing uncertainty, the eBL has become an important enabler of resilience and value creation. ONE has been a pioneer in adopting digital innovations… At GSBN, we want to enable our Members such as ONE to reach their digitalization goals in the most scalable and robust manner. We look forward to further development within our ecosystem to reinforce the overall value of eBL for all of our Members,” Bertrand Chen, CEO of GSBN, commented.

ONE, which joined GSBN in 2023, is one of four major container carriers that are issuing eBLs through GSBN, apart from COSCO, OOCL, and Hapag Lloyd.

DCSA’s members commit to 100 pct adoption of electronic bill of lading by 2030

Technology

The new milestone marks the second product ONE has adopted through the GSBN platform, building upon the successful implementation of cargo release.

It is also the second DCSA member to collaborate with GSBN to reach its 100% eBL adoption commitment, following Hapag Lloyd’s announcement in April 2024.

To remind, Hapag-Lloyd decided last year to adopt IQAX eBL to issue eBL over GSBN infrastructure. This is said to reinforce Hapag-Lloyd’s commitment to fully adopt eBLs by 2030 and offer an effective digital solution to address the ‘volatile and complex’ supply chain needs.