We are excited to share that Shanghai-based maritime and commercial law firm Sloma & Co has independently certified our ICE CargoDocs Local Law eBL solution as compliant with the Maritime Code of the People's Republic of China (2025 Revision). Following this review, and consistent with our IG P&I Club Approval, ICE Digital Trade issued a Circular enabling ICE CargoDocs customers to use Chinese law governed eBLs.

Adopted in October 2025, and coming into effect on 1 May 2026, the revised Maritime Code represents the most significant overhaul of China's maritime legislation in decades. For the first time, it gives formal legal recognition to electronic transport records: Articles 82 to 86 establish that electronic transport records meeting the statutory conditions have the same effect as paper transport documents, drawing substantially on the "functional equivalence" principle of the MLETR.

Sloma & Co issued an opinion in July 2026, assessing ICE CargoDocs eBLs against the statutory requirements of the Maritime Code and its implementing rules, and concluded that eBLs processed through the solution have the same legal status and effect as paper BLs. 

Given China's position as one of the world's largest trading nations, and with major container lines such as COSCO issuing bills of lading under Chinese law, recognition under the Maritime Code unlocks a vast and strategically important segment of global container trade for digital documentation. This development also strengthens our cross-platform eBL interoperability efforts, enabling an eBL governed by the laws of the PRC issued on another platform, to be securely transferred to ICE.

Commenting on the recent milestone, Marina Comninos, Co-Head, ICE Digital Trade, said: "China is one of the most important trade jurisdictions in the world, and recognition under its revised Maritime Code marks a defining step for the digitalization of container trade. As more nations align their laws with MLETR, we are proud to give our customers the confidence to trade digitally, leveraging legal developments and staying at the forefront of these. We look forward to broader adoption and interoperability across the world's largest original negotiable eBL network.”