Supply Lines

Global Trade Customers Ask Container Lines to Keep Digital Transition Moving

‘I feel like I’m working with Fred Flintstone,’ one customs expert said

A container is placed on a truck after being offloaded from a ship at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, US, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.Photographer: Megan Varner/Bloomberg

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By Laura Curtis

April 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Faced with new uncertainties and surcharges related to the Mideast conflict, the global trade community is asking container carriers to keep pushing forward on a pandemic-era effort toward digitalization and away from paper documents.

“The next 12 months represent a decisive window,” said a letter to a group of CEOs whose companies move about 75% of global container trade. “Without accelerated adoption, inefficiencies will persist, eroding customer confidence and increasing costs.”

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The April 8 letter asks carriers to implement clear standards for things like booking cargo and arrival notices, and was signed by dozens of trade groups, seaports and private companies including Tesla, Anheuser-Busch InBev and IKEA Supply, the Port of Los Angeles and the National Retail Federation.