The port of Rotterdam, the Dutch Bank ABN AMRO and Samsung will hold a joint testing blockchain technology to track cargo. The message about this appeared Friday on the website of the port today and on the website IT unit Samsung SDS.
In the text of the press release of Samsung SDS stated that, under the test, companies will track the containers sent one of the factories in Asia to Rotterdam. In the future we plan to make the network open to other companies interested in using the blockchain to optimize the supply chain. The beginning test is due in January 2019; according to representatives of the port of Rotterdam, report on the first results will appear a month later in February.
As a core component of the infrastructure will be used a distributed registry BlockLabs — IT-company, founded by port authority of Rotterdam. In addition, will involve two other decentralized network Nexledger developed by Samsung in 2017, and the blockchain banking consortium R3, Corda. Financial Director of the port of Rotterdam Paul Smith (Paul Smits) explained that the current infrastructure requires the participation of a greater number of parties: for example, to ship cargo from China to Rotterdam it is necessary to involve 28 institutions, offices and contractors.
The organization-initiators of the tests I hope that the use of the blockchain will allow to reduce time of delivery and will facilitate the conduct of financial transactions. “Transportation, tracking, and financial aspects of transportation and the [related service] should be as simple as ordering books online store,” said Smits.
President of Samsung SDS EU/CIS San UN Lee (Lee Sanghun) stressed that this test series is unprecedented, because for the first time in the history of different decentralized platforms will operate in the supply of:
“What makes this project special is the fact that for the first time in the short history of this technology, several blockchains will work in the complex. This is possible thanks to the General “notary” [node], abhideya two separate blockchain in Korea and the Netherlands”.
On account Samsung already has one successful project to implement blockchain technology in supply chain. In September, the company announced that its network Nexledger will use the Korean customs service (KCS) in the design of export goods.