I can't believe that to retrieve a container today, you still need to present the original document from the shipper.
Surely, a simple database record at the port authorities office should suffice. Or a series of digitally signed transfers.
Surely, a simple database record at the port authorities office should suffice. Or a series of digitally signed transfers.
Physical documents mean the port operators can point the finger at someone else in case of criminality.
When everything is under one regulatory umbrella and it's actually tractable to pin it on someone then it turns into a giant bickering fest until someone takes it (this goes for all sorts of exceptions like damaged goods or whatever, not just crime).
That said, there are tons of places in the economy where make-work is done and BS jobs exist to divide responsibility because the current regulatory situation (private more so than public, i.e. insurers, lenders, etc) all but demands it because if you make things hyper efficient with low labor your concentrate responsibility into few parties and are more likely to get left holding the bag when there's a mishap.
As you said, it's all about passing the buck.