Tata Steel Completes First Import Using Electronic Bill of Lading

In a major step towards fully digitised and sustainable global trade, Tata Steel has successfully executed its first import shipment for coal using an Electronic Bill of Lading (eB/L) - a digital version of the traditional paper document used in global shipping, with full bank integration.

This milestone transaction involved coal imports from Queensland, Australia to Dhamra Port in Odisha, India. It is Tata Steel’s first paperless import transaction under a Letter of Credit, fully backed by digital processes. The successful transaction involved seamless coordination between Tata Steel India, ICICI Bank, TS Global Procurement, Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore), and the digital platform provider ICE Digital Trade’s eBL solution.

Peeyush Gupta, Vice President - TQM, GSP & Supply Chain, Tata Steel, said: “This is a big step forward in making our supply chain smarter and more eco-friendly. By embracing eB/L, we are cutting through traditional bottlenecks and setting a new standard for how goods move globally. It reflects our commitment to building a supply chain that is not just efficient and secure, but also environmentally responsible.”

Sandeep Bhattacharya, Vice President - Financial Control & Business Analytics, Tata Steel, added: “This successful integration of banks and digital documentation marks a leap in trade finance. It enables faster access to documents, brings efficiency, and ensures higher compliance - everything a modern finance ecosystem needs.”

By removing the need for physical courier services and paperwork, the new system significantly speeds up documentation, reduces risks, and supports Tata Steel’s push towards digitisation and environmental sustainability.

As a front-runner in sustainable supply chain, Tata Steel is already deploying emission-efficient vessels and increasingly using biofuels and LNG-powered ships for import shipments. The addition of eB/L further strengthens the Company’s focus on environmentally conscious and future-ready trade practices.

Anubhuti Sanghai, Head – Transaction Banking, ICICI Bank, said: “The eB/L solution represents ICICI Bank’s commitment to transform international trade through technology-driven innovation and strategic global partnerships, while adhering to industry-standard compliance. This is also part of our journey from Bank-to-Bank Tech—an evolution from a traditional bank to a tech-led Bank Tech institution.”

Maisie Chong, Global Head, Receivables Purchase and Head, Trade and Working Capital, ASEAN and South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, said: “The success of this landmark transaction marks a significant milestone in the digitisation of trade finance, significantly reducing timelines, eliminating risks and improving transparency. This achievement underscores our commitment to driving innovation and efficiency in global trade, while delivering greater speed, security and transparency to clients.”

In April 2021, Tata Steel executed a first-in-the-global-steel-industry blockchain-enabled paperless trade transaction involving steel export to a customer in UAE. Later in the year in November, the Company executed a blockchain-enabled paperless export order with a metals major in Bangladesh.

Tata Steel has been working towards incorporating new ways of transforming the order to cash cycle by executing and broad-basing blockchain-based paperless transactions in geographies like Bangladesh, Europe, and the Middle East covering three different shipment modes - Road, Breakbulk, and Containers. Many digital initiatives such as Digi Bill (e-submission of Invoices) - a digital platform for paperless transactions for inbound material delivery, Margdarshak - for tracking and re-routing vehicles, among others have already been deployed to manage the supply chain and ease the transactions carried out by the Company’s suppliers.