APL Logistics Integrates with GTN Portal.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2004

Leading 3PL joins growing community of shippers, freight forwarders

and logistics providers adopting ocean industry "utility" for

multi-carrier transaction management

GT Nexus today announced that APL Logistics (APLL), one of the world's leading providers of supply chain management services, has launched operations with the Web-based GTN portal for electronic processing of bill of lading information for ocean shipping.

GTN's standardized, automated e-commerce system joins the elite group of portals that connect APLL with multiple ocean carriers around the world. As a result, APLL gains immediate value through efficient carrier management, fast response and excellent data quality for customers worldwide.

In today's complex, competitive global marketplace, the provision of accurate, timely cargo information is as critical to customer service success as the on-time movement of the freight. APLL engages with many shipping lines and other transportation service providers as it manages global transportation and logistics services for businesses on every continent. Web-hosted, electronic transaction systems like GTN that help drive down customers' costs, standardize data and automate manual processes play a primary role in customer satisfaction and service improvement.

"Partnering with GTN gives us the advantage of one connection to many carriers," noted K.Y. Cheng, senior manager of service integrity for APLL. "It simplifies communication. We don't have to deal separately with many different carrier systems."

APL Logistics now has in its toolkit the ability to use GTN for processing bill of lading data with all carriers on the GTN network. GTN provides online access to 20 different shipping lines worldwide. The bill of lading is the contract of carriage and negotiable document that contains terms and conditions for ocean transportation, details responsible parties, and describes the goods to be shipped.

In addition to serving as the contract of carriage, the bill of lading also plays a primary role in compliance with new Homeland Security regulations - particularly the 24-hour advance manifest rule. Under this mandate, shipping lines must provide US Customs and Border Protection an electronic manifest describing all cargoes - 24 hours before the ship is loaded.

By using GTN, into which shipping lines have integrated their back-office systems, major third-party logistics managers (3PLs) such as APL Logistics can electronically transmit complete and accurate bill of lading information directly into the shipping lines' systems, automatically, over the online portal. The shipping lines then transmit their cargo manifests - which are made up from information gleaned from customers' bills of lading -- electronically into US Customs and Border Protection's Automated Manifest System.

The GTN format supports all of the data elements required by US Customs and Border Protection for compliance with the new reporting rules. GTN also allows shippers and freight forwarders to avoid additional fees and surcharges assessed by shipping lines for manual processing of documents.

GTN is managed and operated for a consortium of the world's leading ocean carriers by GT Nexus, which provides hosted software and services used by service providers and Fortune 500 enterprises to manage global supply chain and logistics operations.

GTN is a neutral platform, focused on the needs of beneficial cargo owners, forwarders and 3PLs and open to all industry participants. The platform's web-based applications automate and standardize the full shipment transaction cycle - from rate requests to schedules, booking, documentation, shipment tracking and reports - across multiple carriers. The system provides the technology infrastructure for connectivity, integration, collaboration and business process automation benefiting the global trade community.

About GTN

GTN is a leading transportation portal providing shippers worldwide with a common transaction platform for conducting business with ocean lines. Backed by a consortium of global carriers based in Europe, Asia and the Americas, GTN provides integrated access to over 45% of the global market for containerized shipping. GTN member carriers, who operate over 20 major global brands, include APL, CP Ships, Crowley Liner Services, CSAV, Hanjin, Hyundai, "K" Line, MOL (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ), NYK Line, Senator Lines, Wan Hai, Yang Ming and the Zim Israel Navigation Company. GTN is powered by technology from GT Nexus, a leading provider of software and services for multi-modal transportation and logistics management, global supply chain visibility, and performance management. For more about GT Nexus, visit us at www.gtnexus.com.