Andre Simha (MSC): Top-5 Shipowners Want to Accelerate and Shape Shipping Scanning
Portugal
The five largest container shipping companies have announced that they will join forces to create a neutral association capable of providing cohesion, standardized procedures and operating philosophies within the industry, in tandem with the digital revolution that has been changing the face of Shipping. It is in this context that MSC's Andre Simha, CIO, spoke to the publication 'World of Maritime News'.
"It is in the customer's interest for container shipping companies to operate with a common set of standards. By collaborating, we can deliver better technological change faster than when we act alone. Customers do not want to connect to multiple different systems, so we need something that is common and open, "Simha said. "We believe that we have reached a point where we need something common, open and made in the framework of a neutral and non-profit association. The timing is right because emerging new technologies are creating more opportunities to help our customers' businesses, "he explained. "The plan of the next association is to discuss the digital future of container transport," he added.
According to Andre Simha, the new association, to be launched in 2019, will be "the collective voice of the sector in issues related to information technology standards" and will work towards "standardization, establishing structures for effective and universally adoptable solutions, exploring possibilities, innovative elements', fostering the progress of the Shipping industry. "Collaboration with and adherence of other carriers to the partnership will be critical to the success of the initiative," MSC's CIO said, noting that the Shipping industry is still lagging behind other processes in the process of digitizing its procedures. "The future association aims to accelerate and shape industry digitization to help achieve a higher level of standardized processes," he said.
To the World of Maritime News, Simha highlighted the benefits of a global apology for digitization based on principles of cooperation and standardization of approaches: "less bureaucracy and better services, better practices and better standards, thus supporting increased interoperability and collaboration 'between agents. 'I believe that stakeholders can benefit from digital standardization, leading to greater interoperability'.