What is a Bill of Lading and why does it matter for tracking?
A Bill of Lading (B/L) is the legal contract between the shipper (your supplier) and the carrier (the shipping line). It serves three purposes simultaneously: it is a receipt that the carrier took the goods, a title document (whoever holds the original can claim the cargo), and a contract of carriage defining the terms of transport. For tracking, the B/L number is the most reliable single reference because it is tied to the entire booking — meaning every container shipped under that booking appears when you query it.
The B/L number is typically 9–12 characters long and printed prominently on the top section of the document, often labelled "B/L No.", "Bill of Lading Number", or "Reference Number". For example, MSC uses a format like MSCU1234567 and Maersk often uses 123456789 (all digits). CMA CGM numbers often start with letters like CGM or contain mixed characters. Always copy the number exactly — even one wrong character returns no results.
Master B/L vs House B/L — which do you have?
This is the most common source of confusion when tracking fails. There are two types of B/L that circulate in international shipping:
| Type | Issued by | Track on | Who holds it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master B/L (MBL) | The shipping line (MSC, Maersk, etc.) | The carrier's own website | Your freight forwarder |
| House B/L (HBL) | Your freight forwarder / NVOCC | The forwarder's portal or by email | You (the importer) |
If you received your B/L from a freight forwarder (rather than directly from MSC, Maersk, or another line), it is almost certainly a House B/L. The carrier's tracking portal will not recognise a house B/L number. You have two options: ask your forwarder for the underlying Master B/L number, or use your forwarder's own tracking system. Many forwarders now provide a customer portal or will send tracking updates by email when you ask.
For LCL (groupage) shipments, you will almost always have a house B/L because your cargo shares a container with other importers. The master B/L covers the whole container, so the line's tracker will show the container and vessel but not your specific consignment inside it. Your forwarder's system tracks the individual consignment reference.
Where exactly to find your B/L number
The B/L number appears in several places. Knowing them saves time when you are hunting for it urgently:
- Top-right corner of the B/L document — the most common location, printed in large type
- Subject line of the carrier's email — when the line sends "Shipment Confirmation" or "Booking Confirmation", the B/L number is usually in the subject
- Shipping instructions confirmation — the document your forwarder sends after you approve the B/L draft
- Commercial invoice — many suppliers include the B/L number on the invoice under "Reference" or "Booking Ref"
- Packing list header — often cross-referenced alongside container numbers
If you have the container number (format: 4 letters + 6 digits + 1 check digit, e.g. MSCU1234567) but not the B/L number, you can often track by container number directly on the carrier's website or on aggregator sites like Track-Trace.com or Searates.com. See our separate guide on container numbers vs B/L numbers for the full comparison.
Step-by-step: tracking your container to South Africa
Follow these five steps to find your shipment's current status and ETA at Durban or Cape Town.
Step 1: Locate your B/L number
Retrieve the Bill of Lading or Booking Confirmation from your supplier or forwarder. Note the number exactly as printed — including any leading zeros or letter prefixes. If you have a house B/L, call your forwarder now and ask for the Master B/L number before proceeding.
Step 2: Identify your shipping line
The carrier's name (e.g. MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, ONE) is printed on the top-left of your B/L, usually as a logo. If you only have a B/L number and are unsure of the carrier, the first few letters of the number are often a clue: MSCU / MEDU = MSC; MAEU / MSKU = Maersk; CMAU = CMA CGM. Online B/L decoder tools can also help.
Step 3: Go to the carrier's tracking page
Navigate directly to the carrier's official tracking page — not a third-party site. Direct links for the major carriers calling South African ports:
- MSC: myMSC.com → Track & Trace
- Maersk: maersk.com → Track a Shipment
- CMA CGM: cma-cgm.com → Track & Trace
- Hapag-Lloyd: hapag-lloyd.com → Tracking
- Evergreen: evergreen-line.com → Cargo Tracking
- ONE (Ocean Network Express): one-line.com → Cargo Tracking
Select "Bill of Lading" as the search type, paste your number, and submit. The result will show the vessel name, current port or sea position, the port of discharge (Durban = ZADUR, Cape Town = ZACPT), and the estimated arrival date (ETA).
Step 4: Use an aggregator for multi-line visibility
If you have shipments on multiple carriers or want a single dashboard, aggregator sites such as Track-Trace.com, Searates.com, or Cargowise Online can pull status across carriers in one place. Enter the B/L number and the site attempts to identify the carrier automatically. Aggregators are convenient but may lag the carrier's own data by a few hours, so always confirm critical ETAs on the carrier's portal directly.
Step 5: Set arrival alerts
Most carrier portals allow you to register your email address against a B/L to receive automatic notifications when the vessel departs origin, arrives at a transhipment hub, or reaches your discharge port. Enabling these alerts is free and prevents you from being caught off-guard by an early arrival — which at Durban, where free days were cut to 3 days from 1 April 2025, can mean demurrage clocks starting before you know the cargo has landed. See our full guide on setting up arrival alerts.
What "tracking by B/L" actually shows you
When you track by B/L number, the carrier's system returns the status of the entire booking. This includes all containers linked to that B/L. If your supplier shipped two 20-foot containers under one booking, both containers appear. Each will show:
- Container number (e.g. MSCU1234567)
- Current status: "At origin port", "On vessel", "At transhipment port", "Discharged", "Gate-out"
- Vessel name and voyage number
- ETA at the next port of call
- Actual arrival (ATA) or actual departure (ATD) if the event has already occurred
What tracking does not show is the customs clearance status at SARS, the terminal storage or demurrage clock, or whether there are any holds on the cargo. For those, you need to contact your customs agent (clearing agent) or check the SARS eFiling system.
Why ETAs to Durban are unreliable — and what to do
Durban is ranked 403rd out of 403 ports in the World Bank / S&P Global Container Port Performance Index 2024, released in September 2025 — last place globally. Chronic anchorage congestion means vessels frequently wait at anchor offshore before being allocated a berth. During this waiting period the carrier's ETA shown in the tracking system may become stale — the vessel has technically "arrived" off Durban but has not berthed, so it is not yet showing as discharged.
Cape Town ranked 400th in the same index. Neither port offers the reliable, fast throughput of major Asian or European hubs. Build at least 5–7 days of buffer into any planning that depends on a specific Durban arrival date. Always confirm the latest ETA directly with your forwarder, not solely from the carrier portal.
Tracking a telex-released or surrendered B/L
A telex release (or "express release") means the original paper B/L was never sent to you — the carrier marks it surrendered at origin so your agent in South Africa can release the cargo without presenting a physical document. The B/L number still exists and you can still track with it. The only difference is that you will not hold a paper document; the carrier's system records the surrender. If you are asked for a "surrender B/L number" to clear your cargo, it is the same number you track with.
A sea waybill is similar — it is non-negotiable and the consignee named on it can release cargo without presenting anything. Sea waybills are increasingly common on short-haul routes. Tracking works identically; the reference number functions the same way as a B/L number in the carrier's portal.
Real-View SCM: track all your SA shipments in one place
Stop logging into five carrier portals. Real-View pulls live container status for all your Durban and Cape Town imports onto a single dashboard, with demurrage clock alerts built in.
Explore Real-View SCM →Frequently asked questions
Can I track a shipment with just the B/L number, without knowing the carrier?
Yes, using a multi-carrier aggregator such as Track-Trace.com. Enter the B/L number and the system attempts to identify which carrier issued it. It is not always successful, especially for house B/L numbers from forwarders. If the aggregator cannot find it, the number is likely a house B/L — contact your forwarder for the underlying master B/L or ask them to share their tracking portal login.
My tracking shows "Discharged" at Durban but I cannot collect yet — why?
"Discharged" means the container has been offloaded from the vessel onto the terminal, not that it is available for collection. Before you can gate-out, several steps must happen: the carrier must release the container (which requires the B/L to be surrendered and any outstanding freight paid), SARS must release the customs entry, and the terminal must confirm the container is in a pickup position. Your clearing agent manages this process; contact them rather than the carrier when you see "Discharged" but cannot collect.
How long after vessel arrival does it take to clear at Durban?
This varies enormously. A pre-cleared shipment (customs entry lodged before arrival, no holds, all docs in order) can be released in 24–48 hours after discharge. A shipment that arrives without a pre-clearance, is selected for physical inspection, or has document errors can take 5–10 days or more. Durban's free-time window at TPT terminals was cut from 3.25 days to 3 days in April 2025, so any delay rapidly triggers demurrage costs. Always pre-clear.
The carrier website says "No results found" for my B/L number — what should I check?
First, confirm you have the correct carrier — the tracking portal only knows about its own B/L numbers. Second, verify you are entering a master B/L, not a house B/L. Third, check for transcription errors (the number zero vs the letter O, the number one vs the letter I). Fourth, the B/L may not yet be in the system if the cargo has only just been booked — allow 24–48 hours after booking confirmation. If none of these apply, call your forwarder.
Does tracking by B/L show customs status?
No. Carrier tracking only shows the physical movement of the container — vessel position, port events, discharge, and gate-out. It does not show SARS customs status, whether there are holds or queries, or the demurrage clock. For customs status, your clearing agent checks the SARS Customs Management System. For real-time demurrage tracking, you need a specialist system like Real-View or your forwarder's port agency service.
Can my supplier track the shipment at their end using the same B/L number?
Yes. The B/L number is the same reference at both ends of the journey. Your supplier can enter the same number on the carrier's tracking page and see the same vessel and status information you see. This is useful for coordinating when the cargo left origin and what vessel it boarded.
Related guides
Sources: World Bank / S&P Global Container Port Performance Index 2024; Transnet National Ports Authority; carrier tracking portals (MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM). This guide is informational — always confirm ETAs and release status with your freight forwarder or clearing agent. Last updated June 2026.