Currently, DCSA membership is open only to ocean carriers, with nine of the top ten carriers in the world on board, representing approximately 70% of global container trade. These members develop standards jointly with DCSA, which means they have financial, time and expertise commitments to continually and actively support DCSA initiatives. Due to the level of resource commitment required, DCSA members tend to include large ocean carriers. DCSA’s members vote on its budget and project priorities, but you don’t need to be a member to collaborate with DCSA, from making use of the standards for free, to having a say in standards development, and giving feedback to support future improvements. DCSA’s goal is to produce standards that are beneficial to all parties involved in international trade and to achieve the widest possible adoption of those standards. Input from many types of organisation is valued and taken into consideration when defining and updating standards
In April of 2019, MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, Yang Ming, HMM and ZIM founded DCSA to establish IT standards that would enable interoperability of technology solutions across the industry. The purpose is to facilitate digital interconnectivity and seamless data communication that anyone who touches the industry can leverage. DCSA standards are developed in close conjunction with the member carriers who validate, align and agree to them and work with DCSA to ensure widespread adoption.