The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), a neutral non-profit organization committed to standardizing and innovating digital solutions in container shipping, has announced a significant achievement. The Port of Rotterdam is now the first major port to integrate DCSA’s Track & Trace (T&T) Standard into its Port Community System, known as Portbase.
This development greatly enhances container tracking and visibility at one of the busiest ports in the world, serving as the main gateway to Europe. This milestone results from a collaborative effort involving the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure, Portbase, and DCSA, all working under the Digital Infrastructure Logistics (DIL) Programme of the Netherlands.
The DCSA T&T Standard is designed to provide cargo owners with real-time information regarding the whereabouts and status of their goods throughout the supply chain, irrespective of the IT systems or logistics service providers involved. A full-scale integration of this standard in Portbase is anticipated to streamline export processes, making them more efficient, reliable, and transparent.
Already, the DCSA T&T Standard is utilized by its members around the globe, supporting over 180 million monthly container tracking events and accounting for 75% of global container shipping volume. Its adoption by the Port of Rotterdam reinforces its position as the de facto T&T standard within the global container shipping ecosystem.
The collaboration is set to progress as the involved parties explore the implementation of additional DCSA standards into new Track and Trace services. A spokesperson from Portbase noted that integrating DCSA standards was straightforward due to the well-documented specifications and modern technology.
Adriaan Zeillemaker from the Ministry of Infrastructure emphasized how this public-private partnership demonstrates the strength of collaborative efforts in digital infrastructure. DCSA CEO Thomas Bagge expressed pride in the recognition of their standards and reiterated the commitment to enhancing supply chain efficiency and visibility through further collaboration in the Netherlands and other markets.