Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced its collaboration with the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) to further enhance safety in transporting lithium battery shipments.
The collaboration was jointly unveiled by MSC and GSBN during the SMDG’s 78th CDC and Plenary Meeting in Antwerp, Belgium.
The increasing presence of lithium-ion batteries carried on containerships amid rising misdeclarations has become a major concern for the shipping industry given the risk of fire, reported MSC.
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 reportedly be shared directly by the laboratories over GSBN’s blockchain network and are seamlessly accessed during booking by MSC.
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 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.”
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Dirk Van de Velde, Chief Health, Safety, Security and Environment Officer at MSC, stated: “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.”
Last November, MSC received the ‘Best Shipping Line – Asia – Africa’ title at the Asian Freight, Logistics, and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards.
More recently, MSC announced the opening of a new 15,000-metre cold storage facility in Durban, South Africa.
