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ShipmentVisibility

Container tracking by number, across every ocean line

Paste a container number and ShipmentVisibility checks the ISO 6346 format, reads the owner code, matches the ocean line and follows the box from empty pickup to empty return. Every container you import sits in one list next to your LTL, FTL, parcel and air shipments, with a predicted ETA, milestone alerts and last free day reminders.

Track my container

The format and check digit are checked instantly, and live events show after you create your account.

How a container number is built

Every shipping container carries one identifier under ISO 6346, painted on the doors, the roof and the side walls. It has eleven characters and each part tells you something before you even look up the box.

PartCharactersWhat it means
Owner code3 lettersThe company that owns or operates the box, registered with the BIC. MSCU, MAEU, CMAU, HLCU and OOLU point to MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL.
Category identifier1 letterU for a freight container, J for detachable equipment related to a container, Z for a trailer or chassis. Almost every number you track ends its prefix in U.
Serial number6 digitsThe individual box within the owner's fleet.
Check digit1 digitA control value computed from the ten characters before it, so a typo is caught before anyone calls the line.

A leased container carries the lessor's owner code, not the line's. In that case ShipmentVisibility asks you to confirm the line, or reads it from the bill of lading you add with the container.

How the check digit is computed

The check digit follows a fixed rule, which is why a mistyped number is flagged the moment you paste it.

  • Each letter of the owner code and category identifier is converted to a number from 10 to 38, skipping 11, 22 and 33. A is 10, B is 12, C is 13, and so on up to Z at 38.
  • Each of the ten characters (four converted letters and six digits) is multiplied by 2 raised to its position, starting at 1 for the first character, then 2, 4, 8 and up to 512.
  • The ten products are added together and the sum is divided by 11. The remainder is the check digit, and a remainder of 10 becomes 0.
  • For CSQU305438 the weighted sum is 6185, and 6185 divided by 11 leaves 3, so the full number is CSQU3054383.

Ocean milestones you see for each container

A container moves through a predictable chain of events. ShipmentVisibility lays them on one timeline with the date, the location and the vessel, so anyone on your team reads the status in seconds. Every plan shows a milestone timeline for each container, and Pro and Enterprise track the full ocean set below with last free day reminders.

  1. Empty pickup at the depot and gate in full at the origin terminal
  2. Loaded on board and vessel departure from the port of loading
  3. Transshipment discharge and load at each hub port, with the connecting vessel
  4. Vessel arrival at the port of discharge and container discharge
  5. Available for pickup, customs and freight holds released
  6. Gate out full, delivery to your warehouse and empty return to the depot

Last free day, demurrage and detention

Free time is where import costs hide. Demurrage runs when a full container stays in the terminal past its free days. Detention, often billed as per diem, runs when your trucker keeps the equipment outside the terminal past the agreed days before the empty return. The last free day decides which one you are close to paying. On Pro and Enterprise, ShipmentVisibility shows the last free day on the container card and sends a reminder before it arrives, so the dray gets booked while the box is still free.

Container tracking software instead of ten carrier sites

Checking each ocean line's site works for three containers. At thirty it becomes a morning of copy and paste, and the one rolled booking you miss is the one that costs money.

  • One list of every container across MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and other ocean lines
  • The same milestone names for every line, so filters and reports work across carriers
  • Exceptions on top: rolled cargo, a changed vessel, a delayed transshipment, a container not yet available
  • Containers next to the LTL, FTL, parcel and air shipments that move the same goods inland, see freight tracking
  • Upload a CSV of container numbers, or add the bill of lading tracking number and every container under it appears

How container alerts and ETA work

Each new event from the line updates the container and its predicted arrival. You choose what triggers an alert: vessel departure, a change in vessel or voyage, a transshipment delay, arrival, discharge, availability, gate out or an approaching last free day. Alerts go by email on every plan and to Slack and webhooks from Growth. The predicted ETA comes with a confidence range, so planners see how firm a date is before they book a delivery appointment. More on the mechanics on the real time shipment tracking features page and the freight visibility platform overview.

Which plan fits your container volume

Container limits count containers added in each billing period, and deleting a container never returns quota. Yearly billing saves 50 percent.

Starter

$49 a month or $24 a month billed yearly

10 ocean containers a month with a milestone timeline, map and email alerts

Growth

$149 a month or $74 a month billed yearly

40 containers, predicted ETA with confidence range, Slack and webhook alerts

Pro

$499 a month or $249 a month billed yearly

120 containers, the full ocean milestone set and last free day reminders, plus client sub-accounts for forwarders

Enterprise

$1,499 a month or $749 a month billed yearly

400 containers, SSO, audit log and a 99.9 percent uptime SLA

Every plan has self-serve checkout, with no contract and no sales call. Compare everything on shipment tracking software pricing.

Track every other number in the same place

Containers rarely travel alone. Air freight follows by air cargo tracking with the air waybill, and the inland legs by LTL tracking and PRO number tracking.

Container tracking questions

Can I track a container with only the container number?

Yes. Paste the number and ShipmentVisibility validates the check digit, reads the owner code and matches the ocean line. For leased boxes, confirm the line or add the bill of lading number.

Why does my container number show as invalid?

The check digit does not match the ten characters before it, which almost always means a typo such as O instead of 0 or two swapped digits. Compare the number with the bill of lading or the container doors.

What is the difference between demurrage and detention?

Demurrage is charged for a full container that stays in the terminal past its free time. Detention is charged for equipment kept outside the terminal past the agreed days before the empty return.

Do you show the last free day?

On Pro and Enterprise the container card shows the last free day once the terminal publishes it, and a reminder goes out before it arrives.

How often do container events update?

Events update as soon as the line or terminal publishes them. Every new event refreshes the timeline, the predicted ETA and any alert you set.

Can I track containers and domestic freight together?

Yes. Containers sit in the same list as LTL, FTL, parcel and air shipments, with the same filters, alerts and exports.

Track my container now

Paste a container number and see the line, the format check and the product view in seconds. Create your account to follow live events, ETA and last free day.

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