INTTRA Announces Availability of Booking 2.0

September 03, 2008

Leading B2B Platform Unveils Next Generation Booking Suite to Meet Evolving Customer Needs

PARSIPPANY, NJ, September 3, 2008 – INTTRA, the leading e-commerce platform for the ocean freight industry, today announced the availability of INTTRA Link 2.0, the first release in a series being delivered on the new Booking 2.0 portal environment.  After seven years and having successfully facilitated the booking of over 10 million containers for thousands of customers, INTTRA has made extensive enhancements to its booking product line in order to create the next generation suite of tools for ocean shipping.

In cooperation with INTTRA’s 23 member carriers, the leaders in ocean shipping, along with the input of many of INTTRA’s customers, the bar has been raised and a new standard is available for the booking of containerized freight.  The updates to INTTRA’s Booking portal extend support for export and import haulage, full transport plans, specialized cargo details (hazmat, out of gauge, and atmospheric control) and regional process support.   

INTTRA Link Booking 2.0 is INTTRA’s EDI-enabled environment which is used by shippers and freight forwarders to reserve space on ocean going vessels.  INTTRA Link Booking 2.0 leverages advancements in carrier system capabilities and drives even further improvements based on requests from shippers around the world.  “This has the earmark of being an industry changing event as shippers and carriers have come together to architect this new e-commerce platform for the shipping industry,” says Ivan Latanision, VP of Product Management for INTTRA.

Key enhancements found in INTTRA Link Booking 2.0 include:

• Dangerous Cargo Details: Significant expansion of information handling capability of dangerous goods.  Drawing interest from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the transaction extension covers the key data elements in a typical hazardous declaration, and in some cases completely eliminates the need for parallel processes required for hazardous shipments.

• Cargo Requiring Temperature and Atmospheric Controls: Expands the settings available to configure temperature and atmosphere controlled containers.  There is now greater capability for a shipper to dictate detailed instructions ensuring safety of their temperature sensitive cargo. 

• Container-level haulage support: Breaking the barrier of shipment-level only details, a shipper can now request per-container level specifics associated with empty container positioning, multiple pickup and multi-stop export haulage arrangements.  In regions where it is common practice, carriers can also provide container-level release numbers in a multi-container booking.

• Split Bookings:  Introduces the ability to handle carrier split bookings.  Carriers can split a multi-container booking request into two or more discrete bookings to align with actual container space available on a vessel.  Each split booking has its own INTTRA reference number.  In the INTTRA portal, split bookings are linked to their predecessors using the key information provided by the customer during incoming booking transactions.

“INTTRA has always prided itself on providing the most innovative solutions to the ocean transport industry,” said Ken Bloom, President and CEO, INTTRA.  “INTTRA Link Booking 2.0 embodies our continued dedication to not only supply new solutions to the industry, but also to remain dedicated to improving our existing product line in order to meet customer needs and the increased necessity for visibility into the supply chain.”

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.

More than 260,000 container orders are initiated on the INTTRA platform each week, representing more than 10 percent of global ocean container trade.

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, Alianca, ANL, CCL, CMA CGM, CSAV, CSAV NORASIA, Deutsche Afrika-Linien, Emirates Shipping Line, Hamburg Sud, Hanjin Shipping Co., 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, United Arab Shipping Company.

For further information visit www.inttra.com. Or contact Andy Barrons, INTTRA Vice President of Marketing, at +1.973.263.5100 or email him at: andy.barrons@inttra.com.

INTTRA, the INTTRA logo, INTTRA-LINK, INTTRA-Desktop, INTTRA-ACT are trademarks or registered trademarks, service marks or registered service marks of INTTRA, Inc. All other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective holders