See any MSC shipment through four independent lenses: carrier events, live vessel position, schedule and a forecast ETA. Not one source that can be wrong.
The fastest way to track a MSC container is to enter your container, bill of lading, or booking number at trackingmcp.com/track/msc. You see MSC's carrier events, live vessel position, forecast ETA, and demurrage & detention free days together; DCSA-normalised across 234+ ocean lines, without a MSC account.
MSC containers begin with GESUMEDUMSBUMSCUMSDUMSGU. Bill of lading and booking numbers work too.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company, founded in Geneva in 1970 by Gianluigi Aponte and still privately held by the Aponte family.
Serves
GlobalTranspacificAsia–EuropeLatin AmericaAfrica
Worth knowing Overtook Maersk in 2022 to become the world’s largest container line — and it’s family-owned, not listed.
Actuals Carrier events: Milestones from the carrier.
Position Satellite · AIS: Where the ship is, live.
Plan Carrier schedule: The line’s committed plan.
Probability ETA forecast: A cross-checked forecast.
MSC schedule reliability: measured, not marketed
290 arrivals · 30 lanes · 12 mo
On-time · ±24h
60%
vs fleet median 43.7%
Delay when late
26.9h
median · fleet 59.1h
Sample
290
tracked arrivals · 30 lanes
MSCfleet median (21 carriers)
Measured across 290 tracked arrivals on 30 trade lanes over the past 12 months, MSC vessels arrived within 24 hours of schedule 60% of the time, with a typical delay of 1.1 days (26.9 hours) when late. These are TrackingMCP's own measurements from actual arrivals against the published schedule, refreshed as new arrivals land. See how every carrier compares on the Carrier Reliability Index →
How to track a MSC shipment
4 steps
Find your MSC reference. Locate your MSC container number, bill of lading, or booking number; it is on your booking confirmation, arrival notice, or commercial invoice.
Enter it at trackingmcp.com/track/msc. Paste the reference into the search box. TrackingMCP auto-detects whether it is a container, bill of lading, or booking number and resolves it to MSC.
Read the live, cross-checked status. See MSC's own milestones, the vessel's live AIS position, the published schedule, and a forecast ETA side by side, so one stale source cannot mislead you.
Watch the demurrage & detention clock. Track the free-time countdown and get an alert before MSC demurrage or detention charges begin to accrue.
What you'll see when tracking MSC
DCSA model
Every MSC shipment is normalised to the DCSA Track & Trace model, so the milestones read the same as any other carrier:
Gate-inThe empty or full container enters the origin terminal or depot.
LoadedThe container is loaded onto the ocean vessel.
Vessel departureThe ship sails from the load port (the free-time clock has not started yet).
TransshipmentOn indirect routings, the box is discharged and reloaded at a hub port.
Arrival & dischargeThe vessel arrives at the destination port and the container is discharged; this is when import demurrage free time starts.
Gate-out / deliveredThe container leaves the terminal for delivery; detention free time runs until you return it empty.
Recently discharged MSC shipments
last 60 days
A sample of MSC containers TrackingMCP followed to discharge recently (numbers masked for privacy):
Container
From
To
Discharged
OTPU•••21
Valparaiso
Philadelphia
2026-07-11
MEDU•••20
Saint Petersburg
Bar
2026-07-10
SZLU•••29
Paita
Qingdao
2026-07-09
MEDU•••16
Auckland
Shanghai
2026-07-09
MSMU•••07
London Gateway Port
Mersin
2026-07-09
MSC demurrage & detention free time
free-time clock
Every MSC import container has a free-time clock: the calendar days before demurrage (box left in the terminal) or detention (box kept out too long) charges start. Look up MSC's published free days by country on the free-time reference →, and TrackingMCP alerts you before the clock runs out.
MSC container number format, and the mistakes that break tracking
ISO 6346
A MSC container number follows ISO 6346: four letters, six digits, then a check digit: for example GESU 123456 7. The first three letters identify the owner (GESUMEDUMSBUMSCUMSDUMSGU), the fourth is the equipment category (usually U).
Letter O vs zeroThe classic. Container numbers never contain the letter O in the digit positions. If tracking returns nothing, check character 5 onwards.
Spaces and hyphensFine either way; TrackingMCP strips them. But a missing final check digit makes the number unresolvable.
B/L pasted as a container numberBills of lading have a different shape (often starting MSCU). Paste it as-is and the format is auto-detected.
Wrong check digitOne mistyped digit fails silently on many carrier sites. Validate any number with the free ISO 6346 check-digit calculator →
MSC tracking statuses that confuse people
5 answers
RolledYour container missed its planned vessel; usually overbooking or a schedule change, and is rebooked onto a later sailing. The new ETD/ETA shows once the carrier assigns the next vessel.
Transshipment in progressThe box was discharged at an intermediate hub and is waiting for its connecting vessel. Days without a new event here are normal; hubs often move a box only when the connection arrives.
Discharged vs. availableDischarged means the crane took the box off the ship; available means the terminal has released it for pickup after unstacking, customs and fee clearance. The gap is typically hours to a few days.
Customs or carrier holdThe container is physically at the terminal but blocked from release; customs inspection, unpaid charges, or missing documents. Tracking looks "stuck" until the hold clears.
Empty returnedThe importer has returned the empty box to the depot; the shipment cycle is complete and this is the final event on most timelines.
MSC tracking not updating? Six reasons
6 reasons
Carrier events lag at origin. MSC's own systems often post the first events 24–48 hours after gate-in or loading. If your booking is fresh, the timeline fills in as the carrier's data catches up.
The box is on a feeder or transshipment leg. Between discharge at a hub and loading onto the connecting vessel, many carriers publish nothing. The live vessel position keeps moving on TrackingMCP even when MSC's milestones pause.
Wrong reference type. A booking number can stop updating once the carrier splits it into containers. Track by container number for the fullest history; TrackingMCP auto-detects which type you pasted.
The shipment is too new. A booking confirmed today may not be in MSC's public tracking yet. It usually appears within a day of the carrier issuing the booking confirmation.
Mid-ocean quiet stretch. On a long leg there are simply no port events to report. Satellite AIS position and the forecast ETA still update daily; milestones resume at the next port call.
A typo in the reference. One wrong character (the letter O vs zero is the classic) returns an empty or stale record. Validate the number with the free ISO 6346 check-digit calculator.
Carrier reference facts last reviewed July 2026.
MSC tracking FAQ
8 questions
How do I track a MSC shipment?
Enter your MSC container number, bill of lading, or booking reference in the search box above. TrackingMCP auto-detects the format and returns live carrier events, the vessel's AIS position, and a forecast ETA. Your first shipment is free, no account needed to start.
What is MSC's SCAC code?
MSC's SCAC (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) is MSCU. TrackingMCP uses it to route your reference to the right carrier automatically.
What do MSC container numbers look like?
MSC containers follow the ISO 6346 standard; four letters then seven digits; beginning with prefixes such as GESU, MEDU, MSBU, MSCU.
How accurate is MSC tracking?
Every MSC shipment is cross-checked across four independent sources; the carrier's own events, live AIS vessel position, the published schedule, and a forecast ETA, so one stale or wrong source can't mislead you.
Why is my MSC tracking not updating?
Usually one of: MSC posts events 24–48h behind reality at origin, the box is between vessels at a transshipment hub, the shipment is too new to be in the system, or there's a typo in the reference. TrackingMCP cross-checks the live vessel position and schedule, so you still see movement while carrier milestones pause.
How reliable are MSC's schedules?
On the lanes TrackingMCP measures, MSC arrived on schedule 60% of the time across 290 tracked arrivals (30 lanes, trailing 12 months); the typical delay when late was 1.1 days (26.9 hours). That's measured from actual arrivals vs. the published schedule, not a marketing figure.
Which alliance is MSC in?
MSC operates as a standalone carrier, outside the three global alliances, though it runs slot-share partnerships on some trades.
Which trade lanes does MSC serve?
MSC serves Global, Transpacific, Asia–Europe, Latin America, Africa. TrackingMCP tracks MSC shipments across all of them.