Assagenti News

Bureau International des Containers (BIC)

Established in 1933 under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) is a neutral non-governmental organization dedicated to improving safety, security, standardization and sustainability in container transportation.

Throughout its 90-year history, BIC has striven to bring together actors across the container-trade industry to foster better practices aimed at streamlining processes in the global supply chain. Keenly focused on the importance of safety, security, standardization and sustainability in the container industry, BIC plays a pivotal role in promoting harmonization in container trade through its databases:
BoxTech Global Container Database: a non-profit service hosting container fleet technical details, allowing stakeholders to source information about a container on a single platform.

BIC Codes: the international register of container-owner codes adopted by the ISO in 1972 that assigns a unique code to each container for easy identification by the owner or operator.
BIC Facility Code: child of the UN/LOCODE, the BFC database provides a unique identifier to over 17,000 container facilities in more than 188 countries.
These databases serve to facilitate a more efficient exchange of information between industry players as containerized trade continues to evolve. Encouraging standardized processes is key to BIC’s vision and mission. This year saw the approval of the UNECE Geofencing Facilities whitepaper project, with BIC playing a leading role in defining geofencing standards for the industry.  Along with partners SMDG and IANA, BIC is developing an industry geofence library that will provide thousands of standardized facility geofences, helping to increase security, sustainability, and efficiency in the supply chain.  

BIC’s work in standardization also encompasses promoting greener practices across the shipping industry, focusing on issues like decarbonization and the protection of biodiversity. The issue of pest contamination (hitchhiker pests) through the sea container pathway is uppermost on BIC’s agenda. To that effect, BIC participated in the drafting of a revision of the United Container Inspection and Repair Criteria (UCIRC), as well as an update of the “Prevention of pest contamination of containers – Joint Industry Guidelines for the cleaning of containers” guide to equip the industry with the tools to prevent potential invasive species traveling through the container pathway.
This year marks BIC’s 90th anniversary, a significant milestone in the history of an organization that has accompanied the container industry as it progressed and evolved into the 21st century. Through dedication to fostering best practices and standards for cargo transportation, BIC is confident that container shipping will continue to go from strength to strength, all while observing the importance of the BIC’s 4 S’s: safety, security, standardization, and sustainability.