A COC, carrier-owned container, belongs to the shipping line and comes bundled with its freight, free time, and detention rules. An SOC, shipper-owned container, belongs to the cargo interest, which supplies the box, escapes carrier detention, and handles its own equipment logistics.
COC is the default: the carrier provides the box and takes it back, and the equipment clocks (detention, demurrage) enforce its turnaround. SOC inverts the deal: you buy or lease the container, the carrier just slots it, and there is no detention because there is nothing to return.
SOC earns its keep on trades where carrier equipment is scarce or return conditions are hostile: deep inland destinations, one-way project moves, and places where COC detention reliably outruns free time. The costs are the box itself, repositioning or disposal, and acceptance formalities with the carrier.
SOC boxes carry their owner’s prefix rather than a line’s, but the number still follows ISO 6346 and tracks through the carrier’s events like any unit in TrackingMCP. The difference appears at journey’s end: no empty-return deadline, so the timeline closes at delivery, not at a depot gate.
A COC, carrier-owned container, belongs to the shipping line and comes bundled with its freight, free time, and detention rules. An SOC, shipper-owned container, belongs to the cargo interest, which supplies the box, escapes carrier detention, and handles its own equipment logistics.
When expected COC detention and depot friction exceed the cost of owning or leasing and repositioning a box: long inland dwell, unreliable return points, or repeated moves on the same one-way lane.
They require valid CSC safety plates, seaworthy condition, and conforming numbering, and may survey the unit. Booking as SOC must be declared upfront, not discovered at the gate.
Track SOC and COC alike →
Prefix ownership directory →
More in Inland moves & equipment: Drayage · Chassis · Street turn · Rail ramp · Inland container depot (ICD) · Pre-carriage & on-carriage · Multimodal vs intermodal · Carrier haulage vs merchant haulage · Reefer (refrigerated container) · High-cube container · Flat rack container · Out of gauge (OOG) · Tare weight · Seal number · Browse all 106 terms →