Major ocean carriers announce groundbreaking joint Internet product

Major ocean carriers will join forces to create and financially support a neutral transportation portal on the Internet under the working name of INTTRA. Maersk Sealand, P&O Nedlloyd, Hamburg Sud, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM have signed an agreement to launch the first open containerized transportation portal backed by ocean carriers. The portal enables international transportation users to manage shipping transactions through one common platform. Implementation of the portal is subject to regulatory approval.

Market research conducted among a range of international companies points to a clear demand for more visibility, greater standardisation and more accurate data along the shipping supply chain. The goal for INTTRA is to accommodate these requirements by offering powerful "one-stop-shopping" for customers of the global container transport industry.

Development of the shipping portal began early this year. The first version will provide transportation users with a single point of entry for tracking cargo movements with multiple carriers. Additional planned services are access to scheduling, booking requests, booking cargo across several carriers and proactive event notification. These and further business applications will be launched on a continuous basis.