The announcement builds upon the momentum GSBN's flagship solution has had following deployments in China and across Southeast Asia last year, serving over 10,000 customers to date.

Cargo Release offers a paperless and transparent solution that connects everyone involved at the port of import, including shipping lines, consignees, their agents, and terminals. The platform is said to simplify data exchange and shorten operation time among parties with real-time updates, cutting the time for cargo to be ready for release from days to a matter of hours, according to GSBN.

Bertrand Chen, CEO at GSBN, said: "The rollout of Cargo Release in Europe is a significant milestone for GSBN and a testament to the growing pace of digital transformation in the shipping industry. The resilience and efficiency of supply chains has never been of greater importance and the digital leap of the industry is key to achieving this."

GSBN was jointly established by major shipping lines and terminal operators, including Cosco Shipping Lines, Cosco Shipping Ports, Hapag-Lloyd, Hutchison Ports, OOCL, SPG Qingdao Port, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group.

Involved in the pilot in Rotterdam are container terminal operator Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam (ECT), Cosco Shipping Lines, freight forwarder OOCL Logistics and trader SUMEC, according to Singapore's Splash 247.