Shipping giant Maersk has rolled out Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio, a digital solution designed to empower global cargo owners and bring clarity to complex customs processes.
The platform, backed by artificial intelligence, arrives as businesses grapple with rising tariffs, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and frequent disruptions to customs procedures.
For many internationally active companies, the traditional approach to customs involves managing a disparate network of local brokers, often numbering in the dozens across various ports and countries. This fragmented strategy, Maersk (OTC: AMKBY) said in a release, leads to disconnected data, limited visibility into the customs journey, and, crucially, significant overpayments in duties.
Maersk’s research reveals that 5-6% of tariffs are, on average, overpaid due to a lack of centralized data and optimization efforts. Furthermore, 20% of shipment delays can be attributed to inadequate customs preparation, disrupting supply chains and adding to operational costs.
Perhaps one of the most striking inefficiencies identified by Maersk is the underutilization of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Despite the existence of over 650 FTAs globally, only 50-55% of eligible trade actually benefits from them. The complexity of these agreements, coupled with the considerable resources required to fully understand their nuances at both origin and destination, means that many global supply chain owners are leaving money on the table.
Maersk Trade & Tariff Studio harnesses AI-powered tariff engineering and optimization. This advanced capability ensures the correct application of over 6,000 product codes and more than 20,000 sub-codes, a monumental task that previously relied heavily on manual interpretation and expertise. The AI also drives upstream compliance risk screening, proactively helping customers sidestep costly delays, detentions, and penalties.
The platform is continuously updated with real-time information from data partners and Maersk’s worldwide network of 2,700 customs experts. These specialists feed crucial tariff and regulation changes into a unified system, ensuring that businesses always have access to the most current information.
The Studio will be available June 28 after comprehensive pilot testing with large customers, Maersk said, for U.S. cargo imports, with full global rollout scheduled for August. The company said the Studio is designed as part of its integrated logistics services but can also be implemented as a stand-alone solution.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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