Shipping portals are websites which allow shippers, consignees and forwarders access to multiple carriers through a single site. Portals provide bookings, track and trace, and documentation, and allow users to communicate with their carriers. In many respects, a shipping portal is to the maritime industry what a global distribution system (GDS) is to the airline industry.
Shipping portals first emerged in 2000-2001 when CargoSmart, GT Nexus and INTTRA Inc. all launched their trial phases.[ citation needed ]
Membership across the three main shipping portals comprises 30 carriers of varying sizes, but the majority are amongst the world's largest, so most of the industry's TEU capacity is represented. [1]
Carrier [2] | TEU | CargoSmart | GT Nexus | INTTRA Inc. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maersk / Safmarine / MCC Transport Singapore | 2,005,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) | 1,521,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
CMA CGM / Australian National Line (ANL) | 976,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) | 497,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Hapag-Lloyd | 488,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
American President Lines (APL) | 470,000 | ![]() | ![]() | |
China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) | 455,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) | 420,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Hanjin / Senator Line | 382,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) | 380,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) | 356,000 | ![]() | ![]() | |
Hamburg Süd / Aliança | 318,000 | ![]() | ![]() | |
K Line | 316,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Yang Ming Line | 311,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
CSAV / Libra | 299,000 | ![]() | ![]() | |
Zim Line | 277,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) | 265,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) | 150,000 | ![]() | ![]() | |
Wan Hai Lines | 123,000 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Emirates Shipping Line | 25,000 | ![]() | ||
Crowley Maritime | 19,000 | ![]() | ||
Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL) | 11,000 | ![]() | ||
No portals can access all shipping lines. With around 250 container shipping lines world-wide, many carriers are left out. Sailing schedule search engines have emerged to allow users to find an appropriate service.[ citation needed ]
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