On March 18, the “2026 Digitalization and Intelligence of Shipping & Trade Conference,” jointly hosted by Maritime China, BIMCO, and the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA), convened at the Shanghai International Convention Center.
Themed “Digital Waves, Smart Trades”, the conference adopted a hybrid offline-online format. Over 500 representatives from across the industry chain, including international organizations, industry elites, and technology pioneers, gathered to explore pathways for the digital and intelligent transformation of shipping and trade. Participants addressed critical industry challenges, injecting fresh digital momentum into the high-quality development of global trade.
Mr. Zhu Bixin, Director of the Board and President of COSCO SHIPPING, Mr. Xu Zuyuan, Former Vice Minister of Transport of China, and Mr. Paul Pathy, President of BIMCO, attended the conference and delivered keynote speeches.
Mr. Zhu Bixin stated that digital and intelligent technologies are currently deeply integrating with and reciprocally empowering shipping and trade. As an active contributor to the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), COSCO SHIPPING collaborates closely with partners in shipping logistics, trade, finance, and government sectors. We have achieved full-process paperless processing for major shipping documents, significantly enhancing the level of global trade facilitation. The digitalization and intelligent transformation of shipping and trade is a systematic project that covers the globe and integrates the entire industry chain. It requires global partners to align their efforts and engage in joint development and resource sharing. To this end, we must firstly build a standard system to achieve interconnectivity and mutual recognition, secondly advance collaborative innovation and deepen knowledge sharing, thirdly establish a robust security foundation to solidify the bedrock of development, and fourthly promote integrated empowerment to explore future opportunities.
Mr. Xu Zuyuan pointed out that the phase of global shipping digitalization has transitioned from exploratory to consensus-building, presenting a landscape of flourishing development. The present transformation has entered the “deep-water zone,” where opportunities and challenges coexist. Looking ahead, regarding the construction of an open, green, and win-win digital shipping ecosystem, Mr. Xu proposed four initiatives: first, to uphold open connectivity and jointly build global digital infrastructure; second, to adhere to green integration and jointly promote sustainable development; third, to persist in integrated innovation and unleash the technological multiplier effect; and fourth, to maintain bottom-line thinking and coordinate development with security.
Mr. Paul Pathy believed that, as the core pillar of global trade, the shipping industry stands at a critical juncture of digital transformation. It faces industrial challenges regarding digital disruption and visibility, yet it also possesses opportunities to break through via digital innovation, underpinned by the unique attribute of sustained long-term seaborne demand for key commodities. Stakeholders across the industry should deepen collaboration to enhance overall efficiency and profitability through digital upgrading, thereby spearheading the high-quality development of the global shipping industry.
During the conference, distinguished guests including Mr. Zhu Guangyao, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services at the Ministry of Commerce of China; Mr. Sun Xiao, Secretary General of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC);
Mr. Lin Ou, Vice President of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI); Mr. Grant Hunter, Chief Digital Officer of BIMCO; Ms. Tianmi Stilphen, Lead for Regulatory Affairs and Legal Reform of the ICC Digital Standards Initiative (ICC DSI); Mr. Bertrand Chen, CEO of the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN); and Mr. Roy de Haan, Partnership Director of Terminals & Feeders of the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), shared insights on core topics such as the digital transformation of shipping and trade, the integration of green and digital initiatives, and the application of electronic bills of lading.
An Understanding (MoU) between BIMCO and the China Maritime Law Association (CMLA) was held. The collaboration aims to promote the localized application of BIMCO standard contracts in the Chinese market, marking a significant practice for international shipping organizations and Chinese professional institutions to synergistically promote standardization in the maritime sector. Meanwhile, COSCO SHIPPING and BIMCO jointly released an initiative on electronic bills of lading for commodity trade. This move aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of eBLs in the commodities sector, consolidating development momentum for the digital and intelligent transformation of shipping and trade.
The conference featured many highlights. During the panel discussion segment, guests engaged in in-depth discussions centering on three major themes: “Value Creation and Business Reshaping”, “Core Foundations and Security Safeguards”, and “Ecosystem Co-building and Synergistic Development”. Participants exchanged diverse views on critical issues such as AI application scenarios, data governance, cybersecurity, talent development, and the integration of green and digital initiatives, providing multifaceted perspectives for the industry’s transformation.
The success of this conference has not only established a premier platform for high-level dialogue and pragmatic cooperation regarding the digital and intelligent transformation of global shipping and trade but also forged a broad consensus and yielded fruitful outcomes in key areas such as joint standard development, legal synergy, and scenario applications. As Mr. Zhang Aiguo, Secretary General of the China Shipowners’ Association, remarked in his closing address, this conference marks not an end to exchange, but a new starting point for collaborative strides toward a digital and intelligent future.
Resonating with the tides of an era defined by the synergy between the digital economy and green transition, the global shipping industry is poised to navigate toward the vast “blue ocean” of “Digital Waves, Smart Trades” with a smarter, greener, and more resilient posture.
