DCSA Reference Documentation / Standards / Guidelines
Implementing Digital Signatures for Transport Documents
DCSA’s Digital Signatures for Transport Documents Implementation Guide explains how digital signatures can be applied to electronic transport documents, with a particular focus on electronic bills of lading (eBLs). It describes how signatures support document integrity and non-repudiation across the eBL ecosystem, and shows where digital signatures fit into the interactions between ocean carriers, eBL solution providers and other parties.
The guide is intended primarily for technical and implementation teams at ocean carriers and eBL solution providers. It walks through the practical steps involved in obtaining and exchanging digital certificates, creating and signing an issuance manifest, and validating the resulting digital signature. The document also explains the use of technologies such as SHA-256 hashing, canonical JSON and JSON Web Signatures (JWS), while distinguishing between elements that DCSA standardises and areas that remain subject to agreement between participating organisations.
Use this guide when implementing DCSA-compliant transport document issuance and you need a practical explanation of the security mechanisms behind the API specification. It complements the API specification with a more detailed description of the signing and validation process, including the responsibilities of carriers and eBL solution providers and the role of certificates and cryptographic keys.