Container tracking & predictive ETAs

Know your vessel's actual arrival before your carrier publishes a revision.

trusted by thousands of organisations worldwide
Container Tracking
Container Status
Container Status

99%

More accurate than carrier ETA

96%

Enhanced operational efficiency

95%

Improved customer service

73%

Decreased demurrage & detention

Built for teams that move, plan, and procure

BCOs & Importers

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Challenges

  • Cargo on delayed vessels disrupts just-in-time production schedules and triggers demurrage and detention charges, based on carrier ETA data that already lags reality.
  • Safety stock and pickup decisions are made on stale carrier milestones, with no independent view of terminal congestion or rollover risk.

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Solutions

  • Predictive ETAs derived from live vessel position, terminal congestion, and 13+ years of historical berth behaviour, updated before the carrier publishes a change.
  • Identify rollover events and port congestion build-up while options to rebook, redirect, or adjust free-time windows are still open.
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Freight Forwarders & LSPs

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Challenges

  • Manually tracking shipments across carrier portals wastes staff time and slows response to customers.
  • Customers expect proactive delay updates, but lagging carrier data risks trust and repeat business.

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Solutions

  • One platform consolidates all shipments and milestones, cutting manual tracking work significantly.
  • Shareable shipment links keep customers self-served on status, reducing update calls and emails.
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Operations & Planning

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Challenges

  • Fragmented carrier portals, emails, and EDI feeds force manual reconciliation of conflicting updates across slot buyers, sub-contractors, and internal systems.
  • Via port and transshipment calls are frequently omitted from carrier updates, creating blind spots across complex multi-leg voyages.

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Solutions

  • A single unified platform, web and DCSA-compliant API , with every container milestone event including all via ports and transshipment calls.
  • Operations, planning, and customer-facing teams act on the same verified data, without manual reconciliation.
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Software Providers

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Challenges

  • Building in-house tracking data pipelines drains engineering resources better spent on core features.
  • Customers expect richer visibility, but sourcing accurate carrier and AIS data independently is costly.

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Solutions

  • API access delivers carrier-independent tracking data ready to integrate, no in-house build required.
  • Embed accurate predictive ETAs into your platform, strengthening your own customer-facing offering instantly.
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“We had no real-time visibility on our container shipments. Now, we can proactively manage disruptions before they impact production.”

Renault Group
Inbound Process Engineering, Renault Group

Explore our case studies for maritime markets

Unilever
Unilever powers its Virtual Ocean Control Tower with advanced AIS data
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Renault
Renault optimises just-in-time production for 100k shipments with precise vessel data
Download PDF
Johnasia
Johnasia simplifies high-volume communication and coordination with MarineTraffic Inbox
Download PDF
Green Farms Nut Company
Green Farms Nut Company achieves logistics efficiency with MarineTraffic's Container Tracking solution
Download PDF
Unilever
Unilever powers its Virtual Ocean Control Tower with advanced AIS data
Download PDF
Renault
Renault optimises just-in-time production for 100k shipments with precise vessel data
Download PDF
Johnasia
Johnasia simplifies high-volume communication and coordination with MarineTraffic Inbox
Download PDF
Green Farms Nut Company
Green Farms Nut Company achieves logistics efficiency with MarineTraffic's Container Tracking solution
Download PDF
How does the Container Tracking predictive ETA work?

Kpler pulls and reconciles multiple carrier schedules against live AIS vessel behaviour and historical berth data. The system resolves conflicting route realities — port skips, added calls, schedule gaps — into a single most-likely route, matching or beating carrier ETAs 95% of the time. Updates arrive in minutes, not hours.

How does Container Tracking help prevent demurrage and detention charges?

By surfacing rollover events and congestion build-up at terminal level before they crystallise into D&D charges. Early ETA shifts give procurement and operations teams the window to adjust free-time window management, rebook, or reroute cargo while options are still available — not after the clock has started.

How does Container Tracking differ from carrier-reported milestones?

Carrier milestones reflect what shipping lines choose to publish, which lags reality during congestion events, port skips, and vessel bunching. Container Tracking derives every ETA independently from AIS vessel position, port call data, and terminal congestion — giving a carrier-agnostic view that can be used to anticipate, challenge, and act ahead of carrier updates.

What is included in the full ocean transportation plan?

Every container milestone across the voyage: loading, vessel departure, all transshipment via ports, terminal arrival at berth, berth departure at each port call, and final discharge. Carrier updates frequently omit via port terminal details; Container Tracking covers every unannounced stop and terminal call, ensuring continuous visibility even when carrier feeds are silent.

Is the API DCSA compliant?

Yes. DCSA compliance makes integration into TMS, ERP, and digital control towers straightforward, reducing implementation overhead regardless of your existing tech stack.

How is pricing structured?

Fixed annual subscription — no per-container fees, no data caps. The same rate applies whether you are tracking tens of thousands or millions of containers annually. GEODIS Americas scaled from 175,000 to over 1 million containers tracked per year without a pricing barrier.

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