About us

DCSA maintains a close partnership with its founding members, the nine largest ocean carriers. Each carrier is represented by a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Together, these teams collaborate with DCSA to establish industry standards and progress towards the implementation of APIs aligned with these standards.

DCSA standards enable the creation of interoperable interfaces for communication and ensure that eBL data transfers can be developed quickly and reused easily, reducing development and support costs. This common approach lowers barriers for smaller organisations and allows freight forwarders to collaborate with more partners efficiently and cost-effectively, regardless of size. As an organisation serving the entire ecosystem, we ensure that freight forwarders are recognised as important stakeholders in this process.

Shippers and cargo owners play a crucial role in the fully interoperable global trade ecosystem envisioned by DCSA. DCSA standards facilitate real-time information exchange among trade participants, leading to automatic improvements in operational efficiency and cost reduction. Widespread adoption of these standards enables logistics managers to make more effective business decisions and optimise resource utilisation, thereby enhancing the value and sustainability of all shipping operations.

Legislators, governments and their international organisations play an essential role in enabling and driving digitalisation of global transportation and trade. Because of the mutual goal of making supply chains more efficient and sustainable, DCSA cooperates with legislators and governments across the globe by contributing to their efforts, for example, through the European Commission’s Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF), the UK’s Electronic Trade Documents Act, United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and the US Federal Maritime Commission’s (FMC) Maritime Transportation Data Initiative (MTDI). 

DCSA collaborates not only with its members, government bodies, cargo owners, and other supply chain stakeholders but also with banks and financial institutions. DCSA standards benefit these organisations by reducing errors, streamlining processes, lowering fraud risk, and increasing sustainability.

DCSA works closely with local ports and terminals to exchange knowledge and enhance the efficiency of port call operations. By ensuring that all data about events is aligned, accessible, and actionable for every stakeholder, we make port operations more predictable. Data is shared through a clear, consistent, and unambiguous process, streamlining operations and improving overall efficiency.

Logistics technology solution providers are crucial for achieving accurate and up-to-date shipping data and documentation among stakeholders, including carriers, shippers, terminals, and banks. DCSA is committed to supporting these solution providers to ensure seamless interoperability across the entire ecosystem.

DCSA ensures the involvement of insurers by providing documentation and track-and-trace standards that offer on-demand access to the data they need for effective risk assessments. This enables marine insurers to digitise and automate risk assessment processes using modern analytics tools.