The arrival notice has come, the vessel has berthed, yet the truck at the port still cannot collect the container. This is very common and almost always has a specific cause with one of four parties: the shipping line, customs, the port or the cargo owner. Pinpointing the bottleneck in the first few hours is the only way to stop the container sitting at the port for days and running up charges.
1 Where It Is Stuck: Six Common Causes
| Cause | Sign | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No delivery order yet | The shipping line or forwarder has not issued the D/O | Pay local charges; surrender the original bill of lading or ask the seller to telex release; check the consignee name on the bill of lading is correct |
| Declaration not yet cleared | The declaration is in the yellow or red channel, awaiting specialised inspection results, or missing documents | Supply exactly the documents customs requests and arrange inspection as early as possible |
| Container held for scanning | The container is on the list for X-ray scanning or has been held for inspection | Follow the scanning schedule and attend when customs requires; it can only be collected after the result |
| Container not discharged or not yet in the port system | The vessel is late, discharge is still in progress, transhipped cargo has not arrived, or the container number is not yet in the system | Check the vessel schedule and container status with the shipping line and port; reschedule the truck to the actual discharge time |
| Port formalities not completed | Container release not registered, or lift-on or port storage fees not paid | Register and pay on the port's online portal before dispatching the truck |
| Information mismatch | Container number, seal, goods description or consignee differ between the bill of lading, manifest and declaration | Ask the shipping line to amend the manifest and file a supplementary declaration so they match before proceeding |
2 How to Find the Bottleneck Quickly
Rather than calling each party in turn, check in the order the container has to pass through — the same order described in the process of trucking a container from port to warehouse:
- Has the container been discharged, and which yard is it in? Ask the shipping line or check the status in the port's system.
- Is there a delivery order, and is it still valid? Ask the shipping line or forwarder.
- What is the status of the declaration? Cleared, awaiting inspection or asked for more documents — check the declaration system or ask your customs broker.
- Has it been registered and paid for at the port? Check on the port's online portal.
The first “not yet” is where to focus. For a held declaration — the majority of cases — preparing documents correctly from the start matters more than any firefighting; see how CARIMEX reviews them under our customs declaration service.
3 While Resolving It, Don't Let the Charges Run Unchecked
Every day the container stays at the port is a day of shipping line demurrage and port storage — two charges running in parallel, weekends included. Alongside resolving the bottleneck:
- Request a free time extension from the shipping line as soon as a delay looks likely, before it expires.
- Estimate the charges that will accrue to decide whether urgent or after-hours handling is worthwhile — a worked example is in DEM, DET, Storage and free time.
- Prepare the receiving point so that once the container is out it can be unloaded immediately and the empty returned early. If the warehouse is not free, a cleared container can be taken to the Nhon Trach container yard to unload and store temporarily, instead of staying at the port.
4 If the Container Stays at the Port Too Long
Besides tiered storage charges, goods left at the port beyond the time limit without clearance — the commonly cited mark is 30 days from arrival at the border gate — may be classed as abandoned cargo and dealt with under customs law. The shipping line may also take measures with unclaimed cargo under the bill of lading terms. So when a shipment is clearly going to be hard to clear, notify the shipping line and customs proactively and find a solution early rather than letting it drag on.
Container stuck at the port? Send the bill of lading number, container number and declaration number — CARIMEX checks the status with all four parties and reports the bottleneck and a solution the same day. Call +84 933 968 988.
