Watch inbound containers from Asia across ocean carriers, spot ETA slips and coordinate pickup before storage and equipment charges become a problem.
Plans from $49 a month, no contract, CSV upload.
Container tracking software collects ocean carrier events into a shared list so importers can follow many containers, compare arrival estimates and act on delays. ShipmentVisibility combines container tracking with parcel, LTL, FTL and air visibility in the same account. Predicted ETA starts on Growth, while Pro and Enterprise add full ocean milestones, last free day reminders and an API for connected workflows.
Live events, the predicted ETA with its confidence range and the route map open in your account. Delay and exception alerts go to your email.
We are opening live tracking to new accounts in batches. We will email you when live events, the predicted ETA and the route map for your shipments are ready.
We could not match this number to a known format. Check the digits, or choose the mode and carrier by hand.
When choosing shipping container tracking software, start with an operational question. Can your team see which inbound orders need attention before the receiving schedule changes?
Keep containers from different suppliers and ocean lines together. Your import coordinator checks exceptions, purchasing adjusts replenishment plans, and the warehouse works from the same arrival information. For an individual lookup, use container tracking by number to check the identifier and its carrier.
Add the references your supplier or forwarder already sends. Container numbers identify individual boxes, while a bill of lading or booking groups the related move. Use a CSV when your inbound register already contains the list, instead of entering each reference separately.
Recognized prefixes identify major ocean lines automatically, including Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and ONE. The owner code identifies equipment ownership, which can differ from the operating carrier for a leased box. Confirm the line when the prefix cannot establish who carries it.
Growth and higher add a predicted arrival window. ETA change alerts bring slipping arrivals to the person planning inventory or receiving. Check the destination milestone before acting, because a vessel arrival estimate does not tell you when the goods reach your warehouse.
On Pro and Enterprise, last free day reminders help prioritize containers approaching a terminal deadline. Use the reminder to confirm availability, customs release and a pickup appointment. A warning supports the pickup decision, while the terminal and carrier terms determine the charge.
Read each container's milestones in order. Pro and Enterprise add the full ocean sequence, including transshipment, discharge, availability, gate out and empty return. Keep the event location in view so a connecting port arrival is not mistaken for arrival at the US destination.
Send your customs broker or warehouse a tracking link so they can view the shipment without editing your list. Agree who owns clearance, drayage and receiving decisions. A shared view reduces conflicting screenshots, but it does not replace the broker's release confirmation.
Export the tracking list when purchasing or finance needs a spreadsheet for its own review. Keep the carrier reference with each row so the team can reconcile the export against booking documents. Use the live workspace for decisions that depend on the latest event.
Pro and Enterprise include API access to bring tracking into an ERP, TMS or internal portal. Connect shipment references and events to the purchasing records your team already uses. Define how each event updates an inbound order before building the integration.
Export the container list from Excel as CSV and upload it to the workspace. Preserve the original identifier formatting and remove unrelated totals or notes from the file. Review the imported records against your shipping documents. This gives a spreadsheet-based team a practical starting point without requiring an API project.
An ETA slip matters when it changes a decision. Review the affected purchase orders, the expected inventory position and the receiving appointment before passing a revised date to another team.
Keep vessel arrival, discharge and pickup availability separate. A vessel at the destination port can still leave a container waiting for discharge, a customs release or a terminal appointment. The timeline helps you ask the right question instead of treating every arrival event as permission to dispatch a truck.
Demurrage generally concerns a container remaining at the terminal beyond the allowed time. Detention concerns equipment kept outside the terminal beyond the agreed return period. A terminal last free day reminder is useful, but it does not establish the empty return deadline. Confirm carrier terms, terminal availability and the receiving plan together.
Pro and Enterprise provide last free day reminders and the full ocean milestones to support this review. Treat alerts as prompts to act, not a guarantee that fees disappear. Read the guide to demurrage and detention charges before deciding which deadline your team needs to monitor.
The same ocean delay creates different work for purchasing, inventory planning and receiving. Choose a workflow around the decisions your team owns.
Keep arrivals across suppliers and ocean lines on one list. Review exceptions with your broker, check that clearance work follows the revised schedule, and coordinate terminal pickup with the drayage provider. Tracking supports the conversation while your broker remains responsible for the clearance information they provide.
Use changed arrivals to revisit replenishment plans for goods coming from Asia. Tell your fulfillment warehouse when an inbound container slips and assess whether existing inventory covers demand. A container tracking app gives the operations team a shared reference when merchandising asks whether a launch date still holds.
Connect the inbound review to materials planning. A delayed component may affect a production sequence even when other containers arrive as expected. Share the revised window with purchasing and plant receiving, and distinguish port arrival from the later delivery appointment that determines when material enters the facility.
Follow containers across clients and share read-only links for status questions. Pro and Enterprise add client sub-accounts alongside the API and ocean milestone tools. Decide who handles each exception so the importer, broker and warehouse do not assume another party has already booked pickup.
Compare coverage, purchasing requirements and the work needed to start. The best container tracking software depends on whether you need a shared importer workspace, deeper ocean data or a broader enterprise integration program.
| Option | Modes | Pricing model | Contract | Setup time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShipmentVisibility | Ocean, parcel, LTL, FTL and air | Monthly or yearly plans from $49 a month on monthly billing | No contract | Start with pasted references or CSV upload | Import teams tracking containers and other shipment modes together |
| Carrier websites | Each carrier's own services | Lookup access depends on the carrier | Carrier account and access terms apply | Open each carrier portal and enter its references | Checking a carrier's source event or an individual shipment |
| Spreadsheet plus carrier emails | Any mode your team records manually | Existing spreadsheet tools plus staff time | Existing office software terms | Build the register and keep every row current | A simple manual register with a clear owner for updates |
| Ocean specialists including Terminal49 and Shipsgo | Ocean-focused tracking | Terminal49 meters per container with rates from sales. Shipsgo uses prepaid credits with a public calculator. | Confirm current provider terms | Depends on account access and the data connection | Teams prioritizing deep ocean-only data and terminal detail |
| Enterprise platforms including project44 and FourKites | Multimodal coverage based on the purchased scope | Quote-based annual contracts | Annual agreement | Depends on procurement, integrations and carrier onboarding | Large networks needing enterprise integrations and broad operational coverage |
Ocean specialists deserve a close review if terminal depth is your main requirement. Check the exact ports, events and data sources you need with Terminal49 or Shipsgo. ShipmentVisibility fits an importer who also needs domestic freight, air or parcel tracking in the same account.
Enterprise platforms can be a better fit for a company coordinating complex systems across a large network. When comparing container tracking system software, bring your required ERP connections, event definitions and operational owners to the evaluation. Check current vendor terms directly before purchasing.
Ocean containers have their own allowance, separate from parcel, LTL, FTL and air shipments. Choose for the container volume you add and the features your import desk needs.
$49 a month
$24 a month billed yearly
10 ocean containers added per month
A milestone timeline, map and email alerts for a team starting with a shared tracking list.
$149 a month
$74 a month billed yearly
40 ocean containers added per month
Adds predicted ETA with a confidence range, plus Slack and webhook alerts for coordinated exception handling.
$499 a month
$249 a month billed yearly
120 ocean containers added per month
Adds API access, full ocean milestones and last free day reminders, with client sub-accounts for forwarding workflows.
$1,499 a month
$749 a month billed yearly
400 ocean containers added per month
Includes API access and the Pro ocean tools, with SSO, roles and permissions for broader team administration.
Allowances count containers added during the billing period. Deleting or archiving a record does not return quota. Existing tracked records remain available when you reach the limit, while new additions require an upgrade or the next period. See container allowances and full plan pricing for the complete feature comparison and billing terms.
The best container tracking software fits your shipment mix, required ocean events and operating workflow. ShipmentVisibility suits importers who want containers and other transport modes together with public plan pricing. Ocean specialists merit consideration for deeper terminal data, while enterprise platforms suit extensive integrations and complex networks.
Upload a CSV of container references or paste your list into ShipmentVisibility to track multiple containers at once. Review the carrier matches, correct invalid references and assign alert recipients. The workspace keeps containers together across ocean lines so your team can review exceptions without opening every carrier website.
Yes, ShipmentVisibility is a web app for tracking shipping containers alongside other shipment modes. Open the workspace in a browser to review your container list, milestones and alerts. It suits an import team's shared workflow, with CSV upload for existing registers and API access on Pro and Enterprise.
ShipmentVisibility starts at $49 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly, with 10 ocean containers added per month. Growth includes 40 containers for $149 monthly, Pro includes 120 for $499, and Enterprise includes 400 for $1,499. Container allowances are separate from other shipment modes.
Yes, you can start with the container number and ShipmentVisibility identifies recognized ocean carrier prefixes automatically. A prefix describes the equipment owner, which may differ from the operating line for leased containers. When the carrier remains uncertain, confirm it from your shipping documents or add the bill of lading reference.
Container ETAs are estimates that change with vessel schedules, transshipment progress and port conditions. On Growth and higher, ShipmentVisibility shows a predicted ETA with a confidence range. Review the latest milestone and the destination it refers to before arranging receiving, because vessel arrival does not establish pickup availability or warehouse delivery.
Yes, ShipmentVisibility provides last free day reminders on Pro and Enterprise to help identify containers approaching demurrage risk. Confirm the terminal deadline, release status and pickup appointment before acting. Detention follows equipment return terms, so review the empty return deadline separately. Alerts support coordination but do not guarantee that charges are avoided.
Create your account, add the references from your shipping documents and organize the arrivals your team needs to watch. Choose the plan that matches your container allowance and the alerts your operation relies on.
Track every shipment in one place. Start with your work email and a password.
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