Shipping lines
Sealand and Matson: regional brands with different publishing habits
One sits inside a global group, the other runs its own transpacific niche. The tracking experience reflects both structures.
From the team behind Tracktainer
What we learn from tracking containers all day.
We track containers across 170+ shipping lines every day, and a person checks the data by hand when it does not add up. These are the notes from that work: charges nobody warned you about, statuses that mislead, paperwork that does not match the cargo.
Container, bill of lading or booking · 3 free credits
More from the desk
Trade and customs
Read the booking confirmation properly, it takes two minutes
Six fields decide most of what can go wrong later. Checking them at booking is the cheapest intervention available.
Tracking know-how
Your container was rolled. What now?
Rolled cargo is common, rarely announced, and usually discovered late. Here is how to spot it and what to ask.
Trade and customs
Shipping marks: the labels that keep consolidated cargo apart
Simple, old fashioned, and still the thing that stops your pallets leaving with someone else’s.
Trade and customs
Letters of credit: why documents get rejected
Banks pay against documents, not against cargo. A perfect shipment with an imperfect document does not get paid.
Tracking know-how
Seal numbers: small detail, large consequences
The seal is the only evidence that nobody opened your container between stuffing and delivery.
Logistics tech
Terminal appointment systems and why your truck cannot just turn up
Most large terminals now run slot booking. Missing that step wastes a day and can cost free time you were counting on.
Shipping lines
Carrier alliances and why your box sails on someone else’s ship
The vessel name on your tracking often belongs to a different carrier. That is normal, and it changes what data you get.
Tracking know-how
When the carrier data is wrong, who checks it?
Every tracking tool reads the same feeds. The difference is what happens when those feeds disagree with reality.
Compare & alternatives
Looking for a SeaRates alternative? Read this first
SeaRates is a large platform with tracking as one module. If tracking is the only thing you need, that shape works against you.
Compare & alternatives
ShipsGo alternative: what to check before you switch
ShipsGo is a capable freemium tracker with public pricing. Here is an honest look at where a switch makes sense.
Compare & alternatives
Terminal49 alternative: strong on US terminals, less so elsewhere
If your volume is North American, Terminal49 is excellent. If it is not, the fit gets thinner quickly.
Check a container before you finish reading.
Paste a container number, bill of lading or booking reference. We detect the carrier across 170+ shipping lines. Three tracking credits are free, no card needed.
Looking for the tool itself? Container tracking on tracktainer.com