Sea freight: blockchain instead of paper for waybill – ocean freight, blockchain | news | Today’s Logistics

Countless goods and merchandise are sent by sea freight all over the world every day. To ensure that the importer receives his goods and the exporter takes his money risk-free, the securities are transferred as documents – the so-called sea bills of lading – as security. So far, they have traveled a long way by mail, car or plane.

Until mid-September this year, the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences project “Electronic Shipping Note and Waybill – Sustainability in Sea Freight” (eCONBiL) together with Bremer Abat AG as well as several experimental users from Economy have conducted in search of a more sustainable alternative to Environmental aspect. For this purpose, blockchain technology has been investigated as an alternative to sending sea freight papers via traditional methods. Of course, this alternative also leaves a carbon dioxide footprint. But how big is the difference between sending a bill of lading (B/L) on paper?

Blockchain-based B/L allows for a smaller carbon footprint

Blockchain became popular thanks to Bitcoin. The technology is safe, yet energy intensive, and has a high carbon footprint. It is dynamically evolving in the direction of Hyperledger technology, which Abate says enables more environmentally friendly transportation. In the context of eCONBiL, according to project partners, CO2-equivalent emissions were considered and calculated for the first time in relation to the electronic transmission of B/L. With CO2 emissions more than 163 times smaller than that of a Hyperledger-based B/L, it was possible Provide a clear recommendation for the online version regarding the emissions of greenhouse gases emitted. As part of a ten-year linear adaptation, it will be possible to save more than 600,000 tons of CO2-equivalent.

Overall, B/L electronic dispatch is a possible important step towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions in retail logistics. Accordingly, future global adaptation should be encouragedAbate summarizes.