HERE’s Digital Compass to Steer Container Shipping's Future

AMSTERDAM – March 24, 2026 – In a significant move to digitize one of the world's most essential industries, mapping giant HERE Technologies has joined DCSA+, the partnership program of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA). Announced today, HERE becomes the first location intelligence specialist to join the alliance, signaling a concerted effort to replace the industry's fragmented data landscape with unified digital standards.

The partnership aims to tackle a problem as old as modern logistics itself: the inability to reliably and transparently track goods as they move across a complex global network of ships, ports, and trucks. By integrating its advanced mapping and location technology into the DCSA's framework, HERE aims to provide the digital compass needed to navigate the notoriously opaque waters of container shipping, promising a future of greater transparency, efficiency, and resilience.

Charting a Course Through Digital Chaos

For decades, the global container shipping industry has been the backbone of international trade, yet its digital infrastructure has lagged significantly. Operations have been hamstrung by a patchwork of legacy systems, manual processes, and a reliance on outdated communication methods like spreadsheets and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This fragmentation creates "black boxes" in the supply chain, where shippers and logistics providers lose visibility of cargo for days or weeks at a time.

The consequences are costly: inefficiencies, delays, and an inability to react swiftly to disruptions, from port congestion to geopolitical crises. Recognizing this systemic weakness, the DCSA was founded in 2019 by ten of the world’s largest ocean carriers to establish a common digital foundation for the industry. Its mission is to develop open, interoperable standards for everything from track-and-trace data to electronic bills of lading (eBL).

The DCSA+ program extends this collaborative mission beyond ocean carriers to a broader ecosystem of technology providers, freight forwarders, terminal operators, and cargo owners. It is within this framework that HERE Technologies now finds its place, joining a growing coalition dedicated to building a shared digital language for global trade.

The Power of Place: A New Digital Compass for Logistics

HERE Technologies is not simply lending its name to the cause; it is bringing a powerful arsenal of specialized location technology to the table. The company's contribution will focus on embedding reliable geospatial data into the very fabric of the new industry standards. This involves three core capabilities that address critical gaps in current logistics operations.

First is the provision of best-in-class mapping, which provides a highly accurate and dynamic digital representation of the world’s ports, terminals, and inland transport networks. This forms the foundational layer upon which all other location services are built.

Second, HERE will introduce automated geofencing. This technology creates virtual perimeters around key locations like logistics hubs or port terminals. When a container enters or exits one of these zones, an event can be automatically triggered, providing real-time, accurate updates without manual intervention. This replaces ambiguous status messages with concrete, location-based milestones.

Finally, the company will contribute its expertise in Predictive Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). By analyzing real-time traffic, vessel speeds, port congestion, and other dynamic variables, HERE’s models can produce far more reliable ETAs than the static schedules currently in use. This allows for proactive planning and resource management across the entire supply chain.

"Joining DCSA+ marks an important milestone as we become the first mapping company contributing to open, trusted data standards for global container shipping," said Gino Ferru, SVP and General Manager EMEA at HERE Technologies. "By bringing our expertise in high quality location data, geofencing, and reliable ETA modelling, we aim to help create a unified digital foundation that strengthens transparency and operational predictability across the maritime supply chain."

A Coalition for Clarity

The success of this digital transformation hinges on industry-wide collaboration, a principle at the heart of the DCSA+ program. HERE's entry is significant not only for the technology it provides but also for the precedent it sets. It underscores a shift away from proprietary, siloed visibility solutions toward an open, standardized ecosystem where data can flow freely and securely between all parties.

HERE joins a diverse group of partners, including terminal operator Contship, logistics giant DB Schenker, and multimodal operator Samskip. Each member brings a unique perspective and expertise, ensuring that the standards being developed are practical, scalable, and address the needs of the entire logistics chain—from the factory floor to the final destination.

Mariana Bock-Losada, Chief Growth Officer at DCSA, highlighted the strategic importance of this addition. "By welcoming HERE Technologies, we add world class expertise in location intelligence, which is fundamental to achieving accurate visibility and automation across global supply chains," she stated. "Their capabilities will help strengthen how location events, ETA data, and geospatial insights are integrated into industry standards."

This collaborative approach is designed to overcome the collective action problem that has long plagued the industry. By developing standards together, stakeholders can ensure interoperability and avoid the costly and inefficient process of building countless point-to-point integrations between different systems.

Navigating the Hurdles to a Digital Dawn

While the vision of a fully digitized, transparent supply chain is compelling, the path to achieving it is fraught with challenges. The industry's reliance on deeply entrenched legacy systems presents a significant barrier to adoption. The cost and complexity of overhauling these decades-old infrastructures are substantial, requiring significant capital investment and careful change management.

Furthermore, even with advanced tools, the principle of "garbage in, garbage out" applies. The quality and consistency of data fed into these new standardized systems will be paramount. Decades of fragmented data practices have created a complex web that will take time and effort to untangle.

There is also a human element to consider. A shortage of workers with digital skills, coupled with potential resistance to change from employees accustomed to traditional workflows, can slow the pace of transformation. Successful implementation will require not just technological integration but also comprehensive training and a cultural shift toward data-driven decision-making.

The End Game: Automation and Supply Chain Resilience

Despite the hurdles, the long-term prize is transformative. Standardized, high-quality location data is not merely about better tracking; it is the foundational prerequisite for the next generation of logistics technology. It unlocks the potential for widespread automation, from self-reporting containers to automated port operations.

By combining real-time location data with artificial intelligence, logistics providers can move from reactive problem-solving to predictive logistics, anticipating bottlenecks and rerouting shipments before disruptions occur. This data can power sophisticated "digital twins" of the supply chain, allowing companies to simulate scenarios and stress-test their networks for vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, this leads to a more resilient global supply chain. In an era defined by volatility—from pandemics to geopolitical conflicts and climate events—the ability to see, understand, and act on real-time information is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The partnership between HERE Technologies and DCSA+ represents a critical step in building this capability, aiming to create an intelligent and responsive nervous system for global trade that can withstand the shocks of an uncertain world.