Charting the Course: HOW TO NAVIGATE MARITIME SHIPPING DIGITIZATION TAKES HOLD As the “arteries of logistics” become increasingly fragile, and as more events disrupt planning, shippers need transparency. “Maritime is definitely the next industry that is up for an IT revolution,” says Karsten Schmidt, director of smart containers with Hapag- Lloyd. Information technology can provide this transparency. Hapag-Lloyd is equipping its fleet of two million dry containers with Internet of Things (IoT) devices that frequently transmit location and condition updates. Shippers can leverage data from the devices, such as a container’s estimated arrival time at a warehouse, to enhance production and labor planning, Schmidt says. Hapag-Lloyd also is working with ERP providers to ensure that data from
the devices can be integrated within their systems. The devices can be leveraged in other ways, as well. One company that works with raw materials plans to use the devices to reduce financing costs, Schmidt says, noting that a significant challenge in cargo financing is proving the cargo actually exists. An IoT tracker on a container can show this, as well as the cargo’s location. Having this information available may help companies reduce financing costs. Another application of digitization, electronic bills of lading, could help mitigate cargo theft, as they’re generally less able to be modified than their paper counterparts, Beagen says. Across the industry, the adoption of electronic bills of lading could save $6.5 billion in direct costs, and enable up to $40
billion in global trade, according to a 2022 McKinsey study. However, not all countries currently have legal frameworks that formally acknowledge electronic bills of lading, the International Trade Centre notes. GIVING SHIPPERS ONE THROAT TO CHOKE While ocean carriers remain focused on the sea, many are adding services that can help shippers once their cargo reaches land. Crowley, for instance, offers inland transportation, warehousing, and logistics services, Kattan says. Shippers can use the ocean service alone or add logistics support as market conditions, cargo requirements, and delivery timelines change. Multiple carriers have been acquiring freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, and last-mile capabilities. If something does go wrong, shippers “have one throat to choke,” Augustin says. On the other hand, the more bundled a relationship, the harder it is to switch out individual services or benchmark them against competitors’ offerings. Also, shippers’ negotiating leverage can erode over time. Along with the actions that carriers
Controlling Global Trade Routes While individual cargo ships dominate the horizon, the real power on the water lies in shared networks. To maximize capacity and keep global trade moving, the world’s top ocean carriers pool their vessels into mega-alliances—or, in one notable case, leverage sheer size to chart a solo course ( see sidebar, page 35 ). Here are the major players driving global shipping today. OCEAN ALLIANCE Primary Carriers: CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen Estimated Share of Global Capacity: Roughly 29% Description: Massive capacity and broad networks; can run dense east- west networks GEMINI COOPERATION Primary Carriers: Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd Estimated Share of Global Capacity: 21% Description: Focus is on schedule reliability and operational stability through Primary Carriers: ONE, HMM, Yang Ming Estimated Share of Global Capacity: 18% Description: Competitive on trans-Pacific and intra-Asian routes; network breadth and frequency through pooled capacity INDEPENDENT Carrier: MSC Estimated Share of Global Capacity: 18% Description: As an independent, can be less complex than an alliance controlled connections PREMIER ALLIANCE
34 Inbound Logistics • October 2026
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