Tracking know-how
A plain language glossary of container tracking terms
Thirty terms you will meet on a tracking page, explained without circular definitions.
Quick take
- Most tracking confusion is vocabulary, not technology.
- The same event has different names at different carriers.
- Bookmark this and send it to new starters.
Half the difficulty in reading a tracking page is that nobody agrees on what to call things. Here is the vocabulary, in plain terms.
Event terms
| Term | Means |
|---|---|
| Empty release / gate out empty | Empty container collected from the depot |
| Gate in / full received | Loaded container delivered to the export terminal |
| Loaded on vessel | Container placed on board |
| Departed / ATD | Vessel actually sailed |
| Transshipment | Container moved from one vessel to another at a hub |
| Arrived / ATA | Vessel actually arrived |
| Discharged | Container lifted off the vessel |
| Available / released | Cleared and collectable |
| Gate out full | Loaded container left the terminal |
| Empty return | Empty handed back to the depot |
Document terms
- B/L Bill of lading, the contract of carriage and often a document of title.
- Master B/L Issued by the carrier to the forwarder.
- House B/L Issued by the forwarder to the shipper.
- Seaway bill Non negotiable, no original needed for release.
- Telex release Originals surrendered at origin so no paper travels.
- Arrival notice Sent by the carrier or agent before arrival, names the terminal and charges.
- EIR Equipment interchange receipt, proof of container handover.
See it on your own shipment
Paste a container number, bill of lading or booking reference. We detect the carrier across 170+ shipping lines, and when the data does not line up, a person checks it.
Charge terms
- Demurrage Time inside the terminal with a full container.
- Detention Time outside the terminal with the carrier's container.
- Storage Terminal charge, can run alongside demurrage.
- THC Terminal handling charge, applied at both ends.
- BAF Bunker adjustment factor, fuel.
- PSS Peak season surcharge.
- Free time The days before demurrage or detention starts.
- General average Shared contribution to a loss incurred to save the voyage.
Questions people ask
Why do carriers not use the same words?
Each built its systems separately, and there is no enforced standard for event naming.
Is there an industry standard?
DCSA has published event standards and adoption is growing, but it is far from universal.
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