CMA CGM and ALIBABA OneTouch signed a memorandum of understanding last week in Hangzhou, China to seek cooperation between the two leading companies in the digital area.

For CMA CGM, it is one step ahead to create added value to its customers and to take the industry toward the digital world.

This cooperation between CMA CGM and ALIBABA OneTouch will provide digital services for the clientele via OneTouch import and export business process outsourcing service platform. They propose together an alternative for direct booking platform for customers and to have on line booking for shipments from China to the Mediterranean and Adriatic areas through the CMA CGM MEX1 and CMA CGM BEX services.

The Israeli carrier Zim also recently signed an MOU with Alibaba.

OneTouch was acquired by Alibaba in 2010 and targets small and medium-sized Chinese exporters with online services such as customs clearance and logistics.

The CMA CGM MEX 1 service, connecting Asia to the Mediterranean will serve loading ports at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian and ports of discharge in Barcelona and Valencia, among others. The CMA CGM BEX service, connecting Asia to Adriatic ports, will serve such loading ports as Shanghai, Ningbo, and Chiwan and discharge ports in the Adriatic, such as Rijeka, Koper, Trieste, and Venice.

Ocean carriers are increasingly going online to boost their businesses. In December 2016, the world’s largest container shipping line, Maersk entered a joint venture with Alibaba for a new online system that will allow shippers to book space on vessels.

Shippers traditionally use freight forwarders to book space for cargo on container vessels. This is now changing as more shipping lines allow shippers to book through the internet. Freight forwarders have also begun to use the online services. At the same time, ecommerce companies like Alibaba and Amazon are entering the logistics arena to try to gain better control over their supply chain networks.