Tracing freight shipping from the USA

A. LCL freight:

Once international shipping is booked, we keep our customers updated via email until cargo departs from the USA. Feel free to contact us regarding the status of your shipment. When contacting, please have your customer reference number ready. The format of your reference number should look like US200118CL.

In a few days after ETD – an estimated day of departure of your goods from the USA, upon your payment toward our invoice, you will receive the carrier's express release ocean freight bill of lading in a PDF file. You may consider this bill of lading the title in your international shipping. Receiving the freight bill of lading means that your cargo successfully departed from the USA and is on the way to the place of delivery, as in your bill of lading.

Sometimes we may invoice based on a rated proof copy of the bill of lading. Then we'll email you onboard confirmation on the day of departure.

Several days before the ETA - an estimated day of arrival of your goods to the destination, the carrier's destination agent should contact your consignee and the notify party with an arrival notice.

Please read about the procedures in this step-by-step guide — steps 5 to 7. If you are an inexperienced first-time shipper, then you may need to read this web link as well.

Please keep in mind that the ocean freight carrier's destination agent may receive information about the arrival of your goods just several days before they will arrive. If you contact them in advance, then fax or e-mail a copy of your bill of lading, verify your consignee's contact information, and wait for the arrival notice. You can see the contact information of the ocean freight carrier's destination agent in your bill of lading in the section "For Delivery/Pickup Please Apply To."

If, for some reason, you'll miss your arrival notice on the ETA, then contact the agent with information on your bill of lading.

You can track your shipment on the carrier's website by your booking number or the steamship line's website by your container number as in your bill of lading.

However, consolidated (LCL) cargo may be re-loaded into other containers during shipping from the USA to the final destination. Then this way of tracking may be confusing.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING FROM USA WITH TRANS-SHIPMENTS: If your bill of lading shows that the port of discharge in your international shipping is different from the place of delivery, then the ETA on such shipments may not be the ETA to the place of delivery, but the port for trans-shipping. It may take additional 5-25 days to arrive at the place of delivery. Some trans-shipments, from Europe to Africa, for example, may take longer.

B. FCL freight:

In FCL shipping, use the approach above.

Also, in FCL shipping, having your ocean freight Bill of Lading on hand, you may trace your shipment directly with the steamship line that is used in your international shipping from the USA.

If you experience difficulties in tracing your shipping, please contact us to track it with the carrier.