Global Shipping Business Network, a neutral, not-for-profit consortium enabling paperless, accessible and sustainable growth in global trade with its data infrastructure and ecosystem of partners, announces its collaboration with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company to further enhance safety in transporting lithium battery shipments. The collaboration was jointly unveiled by GSBN and MSC  during the SMDG’s 78th CDC and Plenary Meeting in Antwerp, Belgium.

The increasing presence of lithium-ion batteries carried on container ships amid rising misdeclarations has become a major concern for the shipping industry given the risk of fire. In its collaboration, MSC integrated its lithium battery shipment booking process with GSBN, which has extensive access to China’s top testing laboratories and certification providers, including SICIT and Pony Testing.

This means following testing, immutable safe transportation certificates can be shared directly by the laboratories over GSBN’s blockchain network and are seamlessly accessed during booking by MSC. This improves the overall customer experience while replacing an often paper-based process in which such certificates are hard to verify and carried risks such as loss, mislabelling as well as fraud. The intention is to extend the collaboration to a wider group of certificates as well as expanding the network of laboratories to increase the coverage for carriers.

Bertrand Chen, CEO at GSBN, said, “The unprecedented demand for lithium shipments has introduced new challenges for the industry and those who work in it. Our aim is through these collaborations is to harness technology to support the global effort to sustainability and mark a new era in shipping safety. As we look ahead, we aim to extend our collaboration to even more shipping lines and certification providers globally to ensure that every journey safeguards lives.”

Dirk Van de Velde, Chief Health, Safety, Security and Environment Officer at MSC, said, “Our collaboration with GSBN offers the best of both worlds. We can offer customers a more streamlined experience from the point of booking, while ensuring that cargo requiring special handling can be safely transported. This has only been made possible by GSBN’s blockchain network and through it, its access to top testing laboratories and certification providers in China, one of the world’s top exporters of goods with lithium-ion batteries.”

MSC is global shipping line Number 1 in the world and is investigating how to collaborate and  join GSBN’s broader efforts to improve the safe transportation certification process through blockchain technology. This latest announcement builds upon earlier collaborations with members including COSCO Shipping and OOCL.