Leading Norwegian mining company, Rana Gruber, recently went live with CargoDocs – completing its first ever shipment using electronic Bills of Lading (eB/Ls), with Cargill International Trading Pte Ltd and TS Global Procurement acting as Traders, Tata Steel in Europe as Receiver, and Mo Shipping as Agents.

The go-live transaction involved a bulk cargo of iron oxide concentrate (hematite), exported from Mo i Rana, Norway to Port Talbot, UK. The original electronic Bill of Lading (eB/L) was handled via CargoDocs, with all key actions such as drafting, collaborative review, sign, issue, endorse and surrender carried out online via the secure platform.

Furthermore, and as a result of the high level of engagement from all parties involved, the eB/L was transferred throughout the entire chain in less than 30 minutes – namely from Rana Gruber to Cargill International, then to TS Global Procurement and finally to Tata Steel in Europe.

This transaction marks one of the fastest end-to-end go-lives for a shipment executed using the CargoDocs eDoc Exchange (DocEx), with the majority of authorized users working from home.

Commenting on the recent go-live transaction, Ingrid Stanova, Chief Commercial Officer, Rana Gruber AS, said: “Simple and impressively efficient solution. Eliminates the paper trail and reduces the timeline for the shipping docs distribution to minimum. This is well appreciated in today’s global environment and during the challenging times we are experiencing due to public health and social measures we are facing today.” 

Tom Olsen and Mads Rødsjø, Agents, Mo Shipping, added: "As agents we are excited and proud to be given the opportunity to cooperate with Rana Gruber, Tata, Cargill, as well as vessels operators and owners, in the process of making the first ever paperless shipment from Mo i Rana. The support from the essDOCS team was excellent and made the whole process efficient and secure. We are very much looking forward to taking part in similar shipments in the future.”

Lee Kirk, Managing Director, Metals, Cargill International Trading Pte Ltd said: “Cargill is always fully ready to work with our partners and customers to lead the latest market trends and innovations. We’re proud to be part of the breakthrough and work seamlessly together with our partners to make it happen. This is not only a successful step towards highly improved efficiency throughout the supply chain but a strong testament of Cargill’s commitment to digitalization and customer centricity.“