The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA) has published an API-based standard for exchanging verified gross mass (VGM) data, aiming to simplify compliance and improve data quality in container shipping.
The release aims to encourage a move away from the current use of emails, spreadsheets, portals and EDI messages for VGM data exchange, with varying formats creating manual work and inconsistencies for carriers and their customers.
The new standard provides a single API for real-time submission, validation and exchange of container weight data, aligned with SOLAS requirements and DCSA’s data model. The association notes that the API is consistent with other DCSA standards covering Booking, Track & Trace and electronic bills of lading.
“The VGM Standard is one of the key elements to supporting the ongoing transition to an API ecosystem for container shipping” said Kristina Jumelet, Product Owner at DCSA.
“VGM processes have long depended on a mix of manual steps and fragmented solutions. By introducing a common, API-based standard, we’re addressing a gap that has limited automation and user experience consistency.”
“This is an important addition to the DCSA standards catalogue in our efforts to digitalise shipping processes to enable our industry to move toward faster, more accurate, and fully traceable information exchange.”
