WiseTech Global has become a member of the Digital Container Shipping Association’s DCSA+ partnership programme, bringing one of the biggest software suppliers in freight forwarding into the effort to shape common digital standards for container shipping.
According to DCSA, the move is intended to speed up adoption of open, interoperable data formats across a sector that still depends heavily on fragmented systems, manual re-entry and bespoke links between carriers, forwarder...
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s, ports and customs authorities. The association said the aim is not simply to draft standards, but to make them workable at scale in live commercial systems.
WiseTech said it has been implementing DCSA standards since 2019 and is now among the largest users of carrier application programming interfaces built on those specifications. The company’s platforms, including CargoWise and e2open, are used by 46 of the top 50 global third-party logistics providers and 23 of the 25 largest freight forwarders, giving it broad exposure to how digital handovers function in practice.
The significance of the partnership lies in WiseTech’s position in the shipping chain. Its software sits between carriers and freight forwarders, handling documents, compliance checks, operational events and financial processes linked to container movements. That makes it a useful source of feedback for DCSA, which wants standards that can work not just on paper but in day-to-day operations.
DCSA+ brings together carriers, cargo owners, ports, terminals, feeders, freight forwarders and technology providers. The programme is structured around three areas , Connect, Accelerate and Contribute , and offers partners implementation support, early visibility of new standards and a role in shaping digital tools that can be used across the industry.
In a statement, Ashley Skaanild, principal adviser for carrier integration and transformation at WiseTech Global, said standardised integrations help remove friction at critical handover points and allow customers and carrier partners to move faster with cleaner data. Mariana Bock-Losada, DCSA’s chief growth officer, said the addition of WiseTech would sharpen the association’s understanding of what works in live ecosystems and extend the reach of the standards it publishes.
For DCSA, the broader challenge remains adoption. Shipping has spent years developing common specifications for bookings, shipment instructions, bills of lading, track and trace, vessel schedules, customs documentation and freight invoicing, but uneven system maturity across the supply chain has often slowed uptake. By embedding standards in widely used platforms, the association hopes even smaller shippers and forwarders can access the same data quality and connectivity as the biggest players.
WiseTech’s entry also underlines a wider shift in the industry: standards are increasingly being shaped not only by carriers, but by the software firms that determine how those standards are embedded in everyday workflows.
Source: Noah Wire Services
