Maersk Adds Artificial Intelligence to Customs Procedures Before Cargo Reaches the Port – Trade News | 08/09/26

Maersk has integrated artificial intelligence into its customs processes to anticipate tariff classification and potential regulatory issues before cargo reaches the port, by connecting its Trade and Tariff Studio and Customs Navigator platforms. The tool allows users to upload documents, product links or photographs so that A.I. can identify relevant attributes and propose a tariff code, together with a confidence score and regulatory sources supporting the classification. It also continuously monitors regulatory changes and alerts users when tariff modifications or new compliance requirements could affect a shipment before departure, integrates requirements from different regulatory agencies and tracks forced-labor risks across supply chains. The initiative seeks to shift customs management from a reactive to a preventive approach amid increasing regulatory volatility, while early users report spending fewer hours on manual data analysis and gaining greater visibility into the causes of delays. For customs brokers and foreign trade managers, the technology does not eliminate their role but shifts their work from manually searching for and entering information toward reviewing and validating A.I.-generated recommendations, as legal responsibility for an incorrect classification continues to rest with the importer. In Argentina, customs digitalization is advancing through a different approach, with VUCEA and the Sistema Informático Malvina automating the flow of certain procedures, but without yet reaching Maersk’s model, where A.I. directly proposes a product’s tariff classification. The tool therefore signals a broader move toward automating one of the traditionally most manual tasks in foreign trade and a shift in professionals’ roles toward supervision, interpretation of complex cases and validation. Link to Article