Container & ocean freight tracking

A standard container identifier has four letters followed by seven digits: an owner code, equipment category, serial number and check digit. It appears on the container doors and shipment documents. Copy all 11 characters; the six-digit serial alone is not enough to identify the equipment.

The owner prefix helps suggest a carrier for familiar equipment codes. Containers can be leased or used on services operated by other lines. Confirm the contracted carrier on your bill of lading or booking confirmation and change the suggestion if necessary. Unknown owner codes do not make a container number invalid.

A container search follows a piece of equipment, while a bill of lading or booking can relate to several containers. Reference recognition and prefilled links vary by line. For a bill of lading or booking number, use the matching search mode on the line’s official portal; do not assume that a container-prefilled link accepts every freight reference.

Loading, vessel departure, transshipment, discharge and gate movements describe parts of the transport journey. A container shown as discharged is not necessarily customs-cleared or ready for collection. Confirm release, pickup instructions and any applicable terminal requirements with the carrier, forwarder or terminal.

Official format and tracking references

• BIC container identification
• Maersk shipment and container tracking

Universal Shipment Tracking brings supported parcel, postal, ocean and airline trackers into one place. Status records open on the official carrier sites.

Browse all 57 supported carriers and services →