The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), in conjunction with its nine member carriers, has published new digital standards for the exchange of operational vessel schedules (OVS), to assist shipping companies in automatically sharing their schedules with partners and operational service providers.
The DCSA Standard for Operational Vessel Schedules can be freely downloaded from the DCSA website, and comprises a set of documents – the DCSA Industry Blueprint 2.0 with OVS schedule definitions; the DCSA Information Model 2.0; and DCSA Data Interface Standards for OVS 1.0.
In addition to these documents, DCSA has also published OVS API definitions on the SwaggerHub open source API development platform, where future enhancements will also be uploaded.
“Operational vessel schedules are core to the functioning of the container shipping industry. Digitising them is necessary if we want build a higher degree of effectiveness and efficiency into the fabric of container shipping processes, and this release is an important step in that direction,” said Thomas Bagge, CEO of DCSA.
“Once implemented, our OVS standards will, for example, enable a port operator to optimise their operational activities in accordance with the exact arrival time and departure date of a vessel.”
“Ultimately, the more transparency and efficiency we build into these fundamental processes the more each stakeholder will be able to trust and benefit in terms of lower costs, increased productivity, greater innovation, a better customer experience, and less impact on the environment.”
