The government has integrated LDB, a cloud-based visualisation solution across major port terminals such as the JNPT as well as Mundra and Hazira Terminals operated by APSEZ a subsidiary of the Gautam Adani-led Adani Group, in 2016. Since then, the ports have witnessed a major decrease in dwell time of both imports and exports
MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), the world’s second largest container shipper, recently announced the launch of WAVE BL, a blockchain platform, for its customers worldwide. This enables shippers and key stakeholders within the supply chain to receive and transmit the bill of lading document via electronic means. While the implementation of such new-age technologies across ports is crucial, the pandemic has given all the more reason for the same. Thankfully, India has been quite prompt in adopting them.
In 2020 when the first wave of covid-19 broke out, the Adani Group, led by Gautam Adani, partnered with TradeLens, a supply chain platform, to integrate blockchain solutions across 10 of its major ports including Goa(read: Latest on Adani Coal Project in Goa), Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The move by the group was in its bid to reduce the vulnerabilities stemming from traditional supply chain system that relies heavily on paper work. The solution offered by TradeLens has helped in making information sharing more cost-efficient, transparent and secure.
The Gautam Adani-founded group is one among the few private port operators that have been quick in harnessing the potential of such new-age technologies. However, on a larger scale of things, the disruption of blockchain technology in Indian ports dates back to 2015 when the Indian government joined hands with Japanese IT major, NEC Corporation to launch LDB (Logistics Data Bank) system. The latter is a cloud-based logistics visualisation solution that provides real-time visibility into the containers that are being imported and exported.
Under the onus of the ministry of shipping, LDB was integrated across major port terminals such as the government-run JNPT as well as Mundra and Hazira Terminals operated by the Gautam Adani-led group. Since then, the ports have witnessed a major decrease in dwell time of both imports and exports. With the unavailability of an integrated system, stakeholders within the supply chain have been facing issues when it comes to tracking the freight movement. However, LDB has greatly helped in bridging this gap.
The current pandemic has necessitated the use of multimodal transport for carrying essential covid-19 supplies. Whether it is by water, air or land, such state-of-the-art technologies like IoT, big data and blockchain continue to play a crucial role in streamlining the operations and bringing agility into the supply chain.
