Sinotrans
Container Tracking
Sinotrans Container Lines, also known as Sinolines, is a Shanghai container carrier under China Merchants Group, and is easily confused with two other companies that share part of its name. Enter a container, bill of lading or booking number for the latest milestones.
What a Sinotrans 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)
SNBU1234567Standard ISO 6346. SNBU is the only Sinotrans prefix we could confirm in the BIC register.
Bill of lading number
Alphanumeric, no publicly documented format
SNLSHA123456Sinolines publishes no B/L specification. Enter the number exactly as printed on your document.
Booking number
Alphanumeric
12345678Accepted in the same field as container and B/L numbers.
Sinotrans container prefixes
These owner codes are registered to Sinotrans Container Lines Co., Ltd. (Sinolines) in the BIC ISO 6346 register. Containers moving under a Sinotrans 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 Sinotrans 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
Sinotrans is already selected
Because you are on the Sinotrans 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.
About Sinotrans
Sinotrans Container Lines, commonly shortened to Sinolines, was established in Shanghai in 1998 as a dedicated container shipping company. Its corporate position has shifted since: it is now controlled by China Merchants Energy Shipping, which brought it inside China Merchants Group, the state conglomerate.
That naming history creates two separate confusions worth clearing up, because both send people to the wrong tracking system. The first is with COSCO, since both are large Chinese state-linked carriers, but they are entirely separate companies. The second, subtler one is with Sinotrans Limited, the listed logistics services company that shares the Sinotrans name. Sinolines is the container shipping operator; Sinotrans Limited is a different entity, and while both ultimately sit under China Merchants Group, Sinolines’ direct parent is China Merchants Energy Shipping rather than Sinotrans Limited.
Operationally, Sinolines runs Chinese domestic coastal and river services alongside intra-Asia routes reaching Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Australia. It is a regional carrier rather than a deep-sea one, and it has newbuild container ships on order for delivery from 2027, so its capacity picture is changing.
Sinotrans tracking: what to check first
Confirm which “Sinotrans” your paperwork means. This is the most common failure mode for this carrier. Documentation naming Sinotrans could refer to the container line (Sinolines) or to Sinotrans Limited, the logistics services company. Container numbers resolve against the shipping line only.
It is not COSCO. Sinotrans numbers do not resolve on COSCO systems and vice versa, despite both being Chinese state-linked carriers. If a number fails on one, that is not a reason to try the other.
Treat published prefix lists sceptically. Aggregators list ten or more prefixes for Sinotrans. We confirmed exactly one, SNBU, against the BIC register, and several of the others (FFAU, UETU, FTAU, BSIU) are known container leasing company codes rather than carrier-owned ones. A leased box on a Sinolines booking is perfectly normal; it just does not identify the carrier.
Its SCAC has an unusual format. 12IH is alphanumeric rather than the four-letter pattern most carriers use. It is corroborated across two independent sources, but if you are filing customs paperwork on it, confirm with your broker rather than assuming a typo.
What each Sinotrans 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 Sinotrans shipments usually move
Sinotrans tracking questions
Is Sinotrans the same company as COSCO?
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No. Both are Chinese state-linked container carriers, but they are separate companies with separate fleets, booking systems and container prefixes. Sinotrans Container Lines sits under China Merchants Group; COSCO is its own state group. A Sinotrans number will not resolve on a COSCO portal.
Is Sinotrans Container Lines the same as Sinotrans Limited?
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Related but distinct. Sinotrans Limited is the separately listed logistics services company. Sinotrans Container Lines, often called Sinolines, is the container shipping operator, and its direct controlling parent is China Merchants Energy Shipping. Both ultimately sit under China Merchants Group, but they are different entities.
Which container prefix does Sinotrans use?
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SNBU is the one we could confirm in the BIC ISO 6346 register. Tracking sites list a long additional list (SNHU, SNTU, SNGU, SNCU and others), several of which are known leasing company codes, none of which we could verify as Sinotrans-owned, so we do not repeat them.
What is Sinotrans' SCAC code?
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12IH. It is an unusual format: most SCACs are four letters, this one is alphanumeric, but it appeared consistently on two independent published carrier SCAC lists, which is the corroboration bar we apply. Worth double-checking with your customs broker if you are filing on it.
When was Sinotrans Container Lines founded?
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The container shipping subsidiary was established in Shanghai in 1998. You will also see 1950 quoted in connection with the Sinotrans name. That is the founding of the much older parent logistics group, not the container line.
What routes does Sinotrans serve?
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Chinese domestic coastal and river services plus intra-Asia routes covering Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and Australia. It is a regional operator rather than a deep-sea line, so cargo bound for Pakistan would typically involve Sinolines carrying one Asian leg.
Does Maalbardaar charge for Sinotrans 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 chasing each carrier separately.
Every carrier on one dashboard.
Stop checking Sinotrans's portal separately from everyone else's. Track your whole book of shipments in one place.
Not shipping with Sinotrans?
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 Sinotrans Container Lines Co., Ltd. (Sinolines). "Sinotrans" 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: SNBU confirmed against the BIC ISO 6346 register as Sinotrans Container Lines Co., Ltd., Shanghai, with sinolines.com as the registered website, also the source of the legal name and HQ. SCAC "12IH" is corroborated across two independent published ocean-carrier SCAC lists, which meets our two-source bar, though NMFTA's own register is paywalled so it is not source-verified. Ownership by China Merchants Energy Shipping under China Merchants Group from Seatrade Maritime, Splash247 and The Loadstar reporting. Other prefixes aggregators list for Sinotrans (SNHU, SNTU, SNGU, SNCU, FFAU, UETU, BHCU, FTAU, SLPU, BSIU) were not confirmed and are omitted. Fleet figures omitted: the most specific available count dates to 2021 and the fleet is expanding under a newbuild programme.