Accelerating eBL Adoption Through Interoperability: Key Takeaways from the FIT Alliance Webinar

The FIT Alliance recently hosted a webinar exploring a key question for global trade: how can interoperability accelerate the adoption of electronic bills of lading (eBL) in container shipping?

Led by Flavia Buso, Product Owner Digital Trade at DCSA, the session walked through the current state of eBL adoption, shared key learnings from the DCSA-led interoperability pilot, and highlighted how carriers, shippers, solution providers, and other trade stakeholders can unlock value by working together.

👉 Watch the recording and download the presentation here: https://www.bimco.org/news-insights/video/2025/11/27-fit-alliance-webinar/

Since 2019, DCSA and its members have taken eBL from proof of concept to a mature, tested standard, backed by a public commitment to reach 100% eBL by 2030. The final version of the DCSA eBL standard (v3.0) was published in May 2025, and the first multi-platform, real-world eBL transfer has already been completed.

Key barriers such as legal recognition and platform lock-in are beginning to break down. Laws like the UK Electronic Trade Documents Act, India’s Bills of Lading Act, and MLETR-aligned frameworks in countries such as France, Singapore and the UAE are giving companies a clearer legal basis for going digital.

Interoperability is central to scaling adoption. The DCSA interoperability pilot – involving HMM, Suzano and two different eBL platforms – proved that an eBL can move securely between systems using open API standards and a shared legal framework. Lessons included the need for early onboarding of participants, ecosystem-wide alignment, and strong governance for multi-party pilots.

The webinar closed with four concrete actions for trade stakeholders: select and onboard an eBL provider, join a pilot or case study and share success stories, sign the FIT Alliance eBL declaration, and stay connected with ongoing work. A suggested 90-day roadmap shows how to move from mapping your current BL workflow to running a focused pilot and then scaling to additional lanes and partners.