A booking number is the reference an ocean carrier assigns when it confirms a reservation of space and equipment on a sailing. It ties together the shipper, the intended vessel and voyage, the container quantity and type, and the cut-offs, and it works as a tracking key.
The booking exists before any container does: empties are released against it, the shipping instruction references it, and the bill of lading is issued from it. Formats vary by carrier, typically a string of letters and digits with no universal standard.
One booking can cover multiple containers, and its details can change: vessel substitutions, rollovers, or split bookings all happen under the same reference, which is precisely why it is useful for tracking the shipment as a unit.
Before a container number exists, the booking number is the only trackable reference, and carriers accept it in their tracking systems alongside B/L and container numbers. In TrackingMCP a booking resolves to all its containers once they are assigned, which is the clean way to watch a multi-container shipment on carriers like COSCO or Evergreen.
A booking number is the reference an ocean carrier assigns when it confirms a reservation of space and equipment on a sailing. It ties together the shipper, the intended vessel and voyage, the container quantity and type, and the cut-offs, and it works as a tracking key.
No, though some carriers derive one from the other. The booking is the space reservation; the B/L is the contract document issued later. Both usually work as tracking references.
Yes, by booking number. Early events such as empty release and gate-in appear against the booking, then follow the container numbers once assigned.
Track by booking number →
Container tracking API →
More in Identifiers & codes: Container number (ISO 6346) · Container check digit · Container prefix (owner code) · SCAC code · UN/LOCODE · IMO number · MMSI · TEU & FEU · Browse all 106 terms →