Maersk
Container Tracking
Maersk paperwork carries more prefixes than any other line, because three acquired carriers still ship under their old codes. Enter a container, bill of lading or booking number for the latest carrier and terminal milestones.
What a Maersk tracking number looks like
The lookup above accepts any of these in the same field. If one returns nothing, try another. Carriers release milestone data against different identifiers at different stages.
Container number
4 letters + 7 digits (11 characters)
MSKU1234567Standard ISO 6346. Maersk boxes turn up under nine different owner codes, so do not assume a container is not Maersk just because it does not start MAEU.
Bill of lading number
Commonly 9 digits, no letter prefix
123456789Maersk does not publish a format specification. Enter the number exactly as printed on your document rather than trying to match a pattern.
Booking number
Alphanumeric
123456789Accepted in the same field as container and B/L numbers.
Maersk container prefixes
These owner codes are registered to A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S in the BIC ISO 6346 register. Containers moving under a Maersk booking may also carry a leasing company's prefix. A leased box is still your shipment, the prefix just does not identify the carrier.
How to track a Maersk shipment
- 1
Find your container or BL number
It is printed on your bill of lading, your booking confirmation, or on the container door itself. Any of the three works in the search box above.
- 2
Maersk is already selected
Because you are on the Maersk page, the carrier dropdown is filled in for you. If you actually need a different line, change it. The selection is not locked.
- 3
Enter the number and press Track
Type it exactly as printed. Spaces and dashes are fine, but a mistyped letter will return nothing, since the check digit at the end only validates against the correct serial.
- 4
Read the milestone timeline
You will see terminal and vessel events from origin gate-in through to empty return, plus the vessel and voyage your box is actually on.
You can also check Maersk's own portal directly at Maersk cargo tracking . The advantage of tracking here is keeping several carriers on one screen instead of one portal per line.
About Maersk
A.P. Møller – Mærsk was founded in Denmark in 1904 and spent most of the following century as the reference point the rest of the industry measured itself against. It is still one of the two largest container carriers in the world, but its more consequential recent decision was strategic rather than operational: from around 2016 Maersk stopped describing itself as a shipping line and started building an integrated logistics business, buying customs brokers, warehouses and air freight capacity.
For anyone tracking a shipment, the acquisitions matter more than the strategy. Maersk absorbed Hamburg Süd in 2017 and had already taken in Sealand, and both fleets kept their own container prefixes. That is why Maersk has nine registered owner codes when most lines have one or two, and why a perfectly valid Maersk box can arrive stencilled SUDU or SEAU.
On the Pakistan trades, Maersk runs through the major Gulf and Southeast Asian hubs rather than calling everywhere directly, so a Karachi import from Europe or the Far East will usually involve at least one transshipment leg.
Maersk tracking: what to check first
You are looking at the wrong prefix. This is the single most common Maersk confusion. Nine owner codes are registered to Maersk A/S: MAEU, MSKU, MRKU, MRSU, SEAU, SUDU, MWCU, MNBU and HASU. A container is no less Maersk for starting MRKU. Separately, boxes leased from Triton, Textainer or CAI move under Maersk bookings all the time and carry the lessor’s prefix; the prefix simply does not identify who is carrying your cargo.
The B/L number looks too short. Maersk bills of lading are commonly nine digits with no letters at all. Next to a carrier that prefixes its B/Ls with four letters, that looks like a partial number, and people pad it or hunt for a missing prefix. Enter exactly what is printed.
The number has not been released. Booking references are issued at the point space is confirmed, which can be weeks before anything physically moves. Until the box is gated in at origin, there is nothing for the carrier to report.
If you are tracking a transshipment routing, expect a quiet stretch in the middle. The gap between discharge at the hub and loading onto the second vessel is where Maersk shipments most often appear to stall, and where real delay accumulates, because a missed connection can add a week without any exception event ever firing.
What each Maersk tracking status means
Ocean carriers share the same terminal and vessel event vocabulary, so these milestones read the same whichever line you are tracking.
Gate in
The container passed through the terminal gate at the origin port and is now in the terminal's custody, waiting to be loaded.
Loaded on vessel
The box was lifted onto the ship. This is the milestone that fixes your shipment to a specific vessel and voyage number.
Vessel departure
The ship has sailed from the origin port. Transit time is measured from here, and it is the point most ETA calculations are anchored to.
Transshipment
The container was discharged at an intermediate hub and will be reloaded onto a second vessel. Most delays originate here rather than at origin.
Discharged
The container came off the ship at the destination port. Free time and demurrage clocks typically start from this event.
Gate out
The container left the terminal on a truck or rail wagon. Once this fires, the terminal's storage charges stop and the haulier's clock starts.
Empty return
The unpacked container was returned to the carrier's nominated depot. This closes the shipment and stops any per-diem detention charges.
Where Maersk shipments usually move
Maersk tracking questions
Why does my Maersk container not start with MAEU?
expand_more
Because Maersk owns nine registered container prefixes, not one. MAEU, MSKU, MRKU, MRSU, SEAU, SUDU, MWCU, MNBU and HASU are all registered to Maersk A/S in the BIC register. SUDU boxes came from Hamburg Süd and SEAU from Sealand. Both are Maersk companies now, and both sets of containers are still in circulation.
What does a Maersk container number look like?
expand_more
Eleven characters: one of the nine Maersk owner codes, then the letter U, then seven digits. MSKU1234567 is the shape. The final digit is a checksum, so a single mistyped character makes the whole number invalid rather than pointing at a different box.
Can I track a Maersk shipment with a bill of lading number?
expand_more
Yes. The lookup above takes a container number, a bill of lading number or a booking reference in the same field. Maersk B/L numbers are usually nine digits with no letter prefix, which catches people out: it looks incomplete next to other carriers' formats, but it is correct.
What is Maersk's SCAC code?
expand_more
MAEU. That is the four-letter carrier identifier used on US customs and EDI filings. It happens to match one of Maersk's container prefixes, but the two are separate registries and most carriers have different values for each.
Are Hamburg Süd and Sealand shipments tracked as Maersk?
expand_more
Largely, yes. Both are part of the Maersk group and their container prefixes (SUDU for Hamburg Süd, SEAU for Sealand) are registered to Maersk A/S. Older documentation may still carry the acquired brand's own references, so if a number fails, check whether you are holding a legacy document.
Why is my Maersk number not found?
expand_more
Usually because it has not been released yet. A booking reference exists as soon as space is confirmed, but movement events generally do not appear until the container is gated in at the origin terminal. The other common causes are a transcription error and a shipment that has already closed and been retired from the tracking system.
Does Maalbardaar charge for Maersk tracking?
expand_more
No. Tracking is included with a free Maalbardaar account, which also lets you keep shipments across several carriers on one dashboard instead of checking each carrier's portal separately.
Every carrier on one dashboard.
Stop checking Maersk's portal separately from everyone else's. Track your whole book of shipments in one place.
Not shipping with Maersk?
Track any of these lines from the same dashboard, or use the general tracking page if your carrier is not listed.
Ocean carriers
Air cargo
Maalbardaar is an independent logistics technology platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S. "Maersk" and all related marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. For official information, visit the carrier's own website . Carrier data sources: Prefixes confirmed individually against the BIC ISO 6346 owner-code register, all registered to MAERSK A/S. HQ and founding year from A.P. Moller-Maersk corporate material. SCAC cross-corroborated across two published ocean-carrier lists; NMFTA's register is paywalled, so it is not source-verified.