INTTRA Leads the Charge to Expand the Use of Web Services:Shaping Shipping Industry Processes of the Future

March 15, 2006

Parsippany, NJ, March 13, 2006 - INTTRA, the world’s largest e-commerce platform for ocean shipping, is leading the charge to Web services and in doing so is shaping the shipping industry processes of the future.

“INTTRA is ahead of the game in developing Web-based services,” says John Debenedette, INTTRA’s Vice President of IT. “INTTRA processes nearly 80,000 containers a week and is growing at 7 percent a month. Our Web services channel, which includes INTTRA Desktop, processes thousands of shipments per day. Web services is growing at twice the rate of our EDI-based products (INTTRA Link) and online channel (INTTRA Act),” he said, “Further, customers using EDI are starting to use INTTRA's implementation guides to move to Web services.”

“In order to find further efficiencies, INTTRA’s future solutions will increasingly depend on Web services technology,” added Harry Sangree, INTTRA’s Senior Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Strategy. “The challenge for INTTRA is to ensure we use the best technology available to adapt and respond to changing customer needs. As a solution, Web services technology will provide opportunities to meet future user needs with additional functionality, while lowering the cost of e-commerce in the long term.”

INTTRA’s mission since its inception five years ago has been to streamline the business process and reduce the cost of e-commerce for the shipping industry. This means continually supporting high volumes of business processes electronically through its network of 22 carrier members with nearly 15,000 active customer connections in more than 75 countries.

Web services, available through INTTRA’s Desktop channel, provide a very rich client experience for users with minimal Internet access. “If you only have email or a computer you can use our Desktop package to enter all INTTRA Web functions, and you do this with a dial up. You don't need broadband,” Debenedette said.

Users who have the Desktop solution can now access Web services through a special address or URL where they can enjoy direct computer-to-computer communications. “For example, a customer’s computer sends INTTRA a booking request in a special XML stream and then INTTRA’s system digests the requests and replies within seconds with an answer and acknowledgement number,” he explained.

Given the growing demand for Web services in the marketplace, INTTRA sees an opportunity to expand the use of this technology to cover other offerings such as track and trace. And Web services technology is the basis of an interface being developed to connect INTTRA to customer ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning systems and other software providers,” Debenedette added.

INTTRA officials believe it’s important to continue a multi-channel strategy, offering a range of solutions for users to connect easily with the platform. “It’s early days for the implementation of Web services in the ocean shipping industry, but being an early adopter means we can set the communication standards for Web services and identify the opportunities to enhance what we can offer our users in the future,” says Sangree.

Ken Bloom, INTTRA’s Chief Executive Officer says, “The technology exists today and is not that complicated. The challenge is how quickly the shipping industry embraces Web services and then how it organizes around its use. As the world migrates to Web services, INTTRA will be ready to serve the industry.”

About INTTRA

INTTRA, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., is a leading global provider of e-commerce solutions to ocean carriers and their customers. INTTRA professionals work with customers to streamline and standardize their shipping processes, applying their e-commerce knowledge of the shipping industry for customers in markets worldwide.

INTTRA's e-commerce platform offers a comprehensive range of e-commerce tools, including: Tender, Sailing Schedules, Booking, Shipping Instructions, Bill of Lading, Track & Trace, and Reports. Accessing the INTTRA platform is simple, using any combination of their channel solutions: INTTRA-Link (EDI-based, system-to-system connection), INTTRA-Desktop (off-line PC application), or INTTRA-Act (web-based application).

INTTRA's carrier network includes, Aliança, ANL, CMA CGM, CSAV, CSAV NORASIA, DAL, Deutsche Afrika-Linien, FESCO, Hamburg Süd, Hapag-Lloyd, "K" Line, Libra, Maersk Line, MCC Transport Pte Ltd., MISC,  Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., NYK Line, Safmarine, Senator Lines and United Arab Shipping Company. The INTTRA carrier network represents over 61% of the world's ocean container capacity.

For further information visit www.inttra.com.  Or contact Andy Barrons, INTTRA Vice President of Marketing, at 973.263.5100 or email him at: andy.barrons@inttra.com.