MSC
Container Tracking
MSC is the only major line that publishes its bill of lading format, which makes its numbers unusually easy to sanity-check before you search. Enter a container, bill of lading or booking number for the latest milestones.
What a MSC 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)
MEDU1234567Standard ISO 6346. MSCU, MEDU, MSDU, MSMU and MSNU are all registered to MSC.
Bill of lading number
MEDU or MSCU + 7 digits
MEDU1234567One of the few B/L formats a carrier actually documents. MEDU is the current prefix; MSCU appears on older bills. If yours does not fit this shape, check you are not reading the container number instead.
Booking number
Alphanumeric
123456789Accepted in the same field as container and B/L numbers.
MSC container prefixes
These owner codes are registered to MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. in the BIC ISO 6346 register. Containers moving under a MSC 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 MSC 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
MSC is already selected
Because you are on the MSC 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 MSC's own portal directly at MSC cargo tracking . The advantage of tracking here is keeping several carriers on one screen instead of one portal per line.
About MSC
Mediterranean Shipping Company started in Naples in 1970 with a single vessel and moved to Geneva in 1978, where it has stayed. It remains privately held by the Aponte family, which is unusual at this scale and explains a good deal about how it operates: no quarterly earnings pressure, and a long habit of buying secondhand tonnage when everyone else is ordering newbuilds.
That approach took MSC past Maersk in 2022 to become the largest container line in the world by capacity. The practical consequence for shippers is coverage rather than speed. MSC calls at a lot of secondary ports the other majors route around, which often makes it the only line offering a direct service on a given pair.
MSC is also the most useful carrier to learn the number formats for, because it is one of the very few that publishes them. Most lines leave you guessing, and the “formats” circulating on tracking blogs for other carriers are largely invention.
MSC tracking: what to check first
You may be holding the wrong number. MSC bills of lading and MSC containers
both start MEDU, which trips people up constantly. The distinguishing feature is
position four: a container number always has U there and exactly seven digits
after it. MEDU1234567 with a U is a box; the B/L is the one without.
Check the number against the published format. MSC documents its B/L as MEDU or MSCU plus seven digits. If what you are holding does not fit that shape and is not a container number, it is probably a booking reference or a house bill issued by a forwarder rather than by MSC, and a house bill will never resolve on a carrier tracking system.
The number has not been released yet. Booking references exist from the moment space is confirmed. Movement events generally do not appear until the container is gated in at the origin terminal.
Because MSC’s network leans on transshipment more than most, expect gaps in the timeline mid-voyage. A container discharged at a hub can sit for days waiting for its connecting vessel without a single event firing, and that silence is where most of the schedule risk on an MSC booking actually lives.
What each MSC 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 MSC shipments usually move
MSC tracking questions
What does an MSC bill of lading number look like?
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MEDU or MSCU followed by seven digits: MEDU1234567. MSC is one of very few carriers that publishes this in its own customer advisory, so unlike most lines you can check the shape before you search. MEDU is current; MSCU turns up on older bills.
Which container prefixes does MSC use?
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MSCU, MEDU, MSDU, MSMU and MSNU, all registered to MSC in the BIC ISO 6346 register. Containers leased from Triton, Beacon, CAI or Seaco also move under MSC bookings and carry the lessor's prefix instead.
My B/L number and container number both start MEDU. Which is which?
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Both use the same prefix, which is genuinely confusing. The container number always has U as its fourth character and exactly seven digits after it. If the fourth character is not U, you are holding the bill of lading number. Either one works in the search above.
What is MSC's SCAC code?
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MSCU: the four-letter identifier used on US customs and EDI filings. It is identical to one of MSC's container prefixes, which is a coincidence of two separate registries rather than a rule.
Is MSC the largest container line?
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Yes, by fleet capacity. MSC overtook Maersk in 2022 and has continued to grow, largely by buying secondhand tonnage rather than ordering new. In practical terms that means very broad port coverage, including secondary ports the other majors skip.
Why is my MSC container number not found?
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Check the fourth character is U and remove any spaces first. Beyond that, the usual causes are a number the carrier has not released yet (booking references often return nothing until the box is gated in at origin) and a shipment that has already closed and dropped out of the system.
Does Maalbardaar charge for MSC tracking?
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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 MSC's portal separately from everyone else's. Track your whole book of shipments in one place.
Not shipping with MSC?
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 MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.. "MSC" 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. Bill of lading format from MSC's own published customer advisory. HQ from the BIC registrant address; founded in Naples in 1970, headquartered in Geneva since 1978. SCAC cross-corroborated across two published lists.