# CargoX Smart B/L™ - Digital Bills of Lading on Blockchain

> CargoX Smart B/L™ digitizes bills of lading in maritime transport and replaces paper-based processes with blockchain-based electronic documents. The solution reduces costs by up to 85% and enables the transfer of trade documents in minutes instead of days or weeks. Since 2018, over 135,000 companies and authorities worldwide have processed more than 8 million electronic trade documents through the platform.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** Shipping and maritime transport · **Organisation:** CargoX · **Maturity level:** Production

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/cargox-konnossemente-digital-uebertragen

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Production
- **Evidence:** Evidence high
- **Editorial review:** Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026

## Description

CargoX (Ljubljana, Slovenia) was founded by Stefan Kukman and developed the first public blockchain-based Bill of Lading platform. The Bill of Lading is the most important document in maritime trade: it proves ownership of the cargo, serves as a freight contract, and acts as a receipt. Paper-based Bills of Lading take 7-10 days by courier — with CargoX: ownership transfers in minutes.

CargoX uses NFT technology on the public Ethereum blockchain (with Polygon as Layer 2 for low transaction costs): each Bill of Lading is minted as an NFT; ownership transfers occur like a crypto transaction — instant, immutable, worldwide. The biggest milestone: in April 2021, CargoX was mandated by Egypt’s customs authority (under Egyptian Customs Law #207) as the sole blockchain document transfer gateway for the NAFEZA National Single Window. From 1 October 2021, mandatory for all sea freight to Egypt. By 2023: over 1.5 million trade documents transferred, 100,000+ customers. Result: fastest growing blockchain platform in the logistics industry (Stefan Kukman). CargoX is the only platform approved by the International Group of Protection & Indemnity Clubs (IGP&I) — the 13 IGP&I clubs insure 90% of the world’s sea freight tonnage volume. Other partners: HMM (South Korea), G2 Ocean (largest breakbulk fleet), Contour (Trade Finance), FIATA (international freight forwarders association).

## Benefits

- Companies can improve their liquidity as trade documents are transferred faster, thereby accelerating payment processes.
- The transfer of trade documents takes minutes instead of days or weeks, significantly increasing the speed of the entire supply chain.
- Cost savings of up to 85% in issuing and processing Bills of Lading by eliminating paper and courier costs.
- Blockchain technology ensures immutable and tamper-proof documents with system uptime of over 99.99%.
- Employees are relieved from time-consuming manual document processes and can focus on more value-adding activities.

## Challenges

- Integration with existing ERP systems and national Single Window systems can involve technical challenges and additional development work.
- Acceptance of blockchain-based documents by all parties involved in the supply chain often requires persuasion and training.
- Companies must adapt their existing processes and systems to digital document transfer, which requires organisational changes.
- Employees need training in using the new blockchain-based platform and must develop trust in the digital technology.

## Technology foundation

CargoX uses public Ethereum and Polygon networks with smart contracts to tokenize trade documents and store their transfer history in a decentralised manner. The solution uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for secure transmissions and strong cryptographic signatures to ensure the authenticity and immutability of the documents.

## Sources

- [First Ever Blockchain-Based CargoX Smart B/L Has Successfully Completed Its Historic Mission](https://cargox.io/content-hub/first-ever-blockchain-based-cargox-smart-bl-has-successfully-completed-its-historic-mission)
- [CargoX Blockchain Smart B/L App](https://www.shippingandfreightresource.com/cargox-blockchain-smart-bl-app/)
- [CargoX Business Development Team Presentation](https://www.datocms-assets.com/91419/1731423443-cargox-bdt.pdf)
- [CargoX Platform Overview Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOmKzubMuoo)