The manual tracking process on CMA CGM
Tracking a CMA CGM shipment involves navigating alliance vessel assignments, Cape of Good Hope routing, and milestone data from multiple operating carriers.
- 01
Identify tracking reference
Determine whether to track by container number, BL number (CMDU prefix for CMA CGM, APLU for APL), or booking reference. The CMA CGM eBusiness tracking module accepts all three. For shipments booked under Group brands ANL or APL, use the corresponding BL prefix.
- 02
Log into My CMA CGM and access tracking
Navigate to the eBusiness tracking module at www.cma-cgm.com/ebusiness/tracking. The Shipment Dashboard provides a centralized view of all active shipments with document status, event milestones, and action items. Map-based container location view and inland shipment tracking are available for real-time positioning.
- 03
Review container milestones
Check gate-in, gate-out, vessel load, transshipment, vessel discharge, and customs clearance milestones. The portal surfaces container milestones, document events (VGM, DG declaration, customs inspection), and equipment events in the shipment timeline.
- 04
Identify the operating carrier for each leg
Under the Ocean Alliance Day 10 Product, a CMA CGM booking may sail on a CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, or Evergreen vessel. On the Transatlantic, two loops additionally use ONE tonnage under a separate cooperation (revised in February 2026 to 2 loops / 14 vessels, with Baltimore dropped from the port rotation and a 37% capacity cut on the North Europe to US East Coast lane). The operating carrier for each leg determines which carrier's systems generate the milestone data. Tracking data for alliance partner-operated legs may flow through the partner carrier's system before appearing in CMA CGM's visibility platform.
Pain pointThe operating carrier is not always immediately obvious from the CMA CGM portal. Milestone descriptions may reference vessel names without clearly indicating whether the vessel is CMA CGM-operated or alliance partner-operated. Milestone data from partner legs may appear with a lag.
- 05
Evaluate ETA accuracy against reliability baseline
Compare the portal ETA against Ocean Alliance reliability data. Sea-Intelligence GLP #177 (April 2026, ALL arrivals) shows Ocean Alliance at approximately 68% schedule reliability: below Gemini's ~85% (85.0% point) and MSC standalone's ~73% (73.4% point). For Asia-Europe and Mediterranean services, factor in Cape of Good Hope routing, which adds approximately 10–14 days compared to Suez transit times.
Pain pointIf CMA CGM partially returns specific services to Suez while most remain on Cape, ETAs become a dual-routing calculation. The INDAMEX service may still route via Suez. Ops teams that apply a single routing assumption across all CMA CGM services risk misquoting transit times.
- 06
Communicate status to consignee
Prepare a customer-facing tracking update that explains the actual routing and any delays. Translate alliance vessel context into language the consignee understands — the consignee should see the shipment status and expected arrival, not confusing alliance carrier codes or vessel identifiers they do not recognize.
- 07
Handle exceptions and escalate delays
Detect deviations from expected milestone timing. Investigate whether the delay is caused by port congestion, weather, alliance vessel swap, customs hold, or routing change. Generate a customer-facing update that explains the delay context rather than simply reporting the shipment as delayed.
Ocean Alliance network and schedule reliability
CMA CGM tracking operates within the Ocean Alliance network — a vessel-sharing agreement with COSCO Shipping, OOCL, and Evergreen, extended to 2032. The Day 10 Product (effective April 2026) deploys approximately 394 vessels across 41 weekly services with ~5.3 million TEU capacity and 520+ direct port pairs. On the Transatlantic, Ocean Alliance operates two loops under a separate cooperation with ONE (revised in February 2026 to 2 loops / 14 vessels with Baltimore dropped from the port rotation — a 37% capacity cut on the North Europe to US East Coast lane). Any of these alliance members' vessels may carry a CMA CGM-booked container, meaning milestone data originates from multiple carrier systems.
Most Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services route via the Cape of Good Hope. CMA CGM briefly announced Suez Canal returns for three services (FAL 1, FAL 3, MEX) but pulled back in January 2026. The INDAMEX service may still route via Suez. Cape routing adds approximately 10–14 days of transit time compared to Suez, and any future routing changes back to Suez will shift ETAs materially. Ops teams must check per-service routing rather than applying a carrier-level assumption.
Schedule reliability is the critical input for ETA calibration. Sea-Intelligence GLP #177 (April 2026, ALL arrivals) shows:
- Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen): ~68% (67.6% point) - Gemini (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd): ~85% (85.0% point) - MSC standalone: ~73% (73.4% point) - Premier Alliance (ONE, HMM, Yang Ming): ~54% (54.2% point)
CMA CGM's individual carrier reliability is not separately reported in public Sea-Intelligence data. Two factors contextualize the ~68% figure: Cape of Good Hope routing compresses schedule buffers on Asia-Europe/Med, and the Day 10 Product launching April 2026 is designed to improve schedule performance through denser port coverage. Until Day 10 data materializes, ETA planning should use the ~68% baseline.
Where CMA CGM tracking errors happen
The most common CMA CGM tracking errors, based on the alliance network structure, routing uncertainty, and API integration patterns.
ETA based on wrong reliability baseline
CommonETA communicated to consignee using Gemini-era (~85%) or generic industry average reliability. Actual Ocean Alliance baseline is approximately 68% (Sea-Intelligence GLP #177, April 2026, ALL arrivals). Consignee expectations are misaligned, and the forwarder bears the credibility cost when the shipment arrives later than promised.
Suez transit time applied to Cape routing
CommonTransit time estimate uses Suez-era benchmarks for an Asia-Europe or Asia-Mediterranean service. The actual routing is Cape of Good Hope, adding 10–14 days. CMA CGM pulled back from a Suez return for FAL 1, FAL 3, and MEX in January 2026 — ops teams that assumed those services would return to Suez misquoted transit times.
Alliance partner milestone lag
CommonShipment sails on a COSCO, OOCL, or Evergreen vessel under the Ocean Alliance. Milestone data flows through the partner carrier's system before appearing in CMA CGM's visibility platform, creating a reporting lag. The forwarder reports a stale container location to the consignee based on delayed milestone data.
Operating carrier confusion in consignee updates
OccasionalCustomer-facing tracking update references a vessel name or carrier code the consignee does not recognize — a COSCO vessel name for a CMA CGM booking, or an OOCL voyage number. The consignee questions whether the shipment is actually on the correct carrier, generating unnecessary inquiries.
Dual-routing ETA mismatch
OccasionalSome CMA CGM services route via Cape of Good Hope while others may route via Suez (e.g., INDAMEX). The ops team applies a single routing assumption across all services and misquotes the transit time for the specific booking. Each service string has its own routing, which can change with geopolitical conditions.
API subscription expiry
OccasionalCMA CGM's DCSA T&T v2.2 API offers a free 30-day trial. If the trial expires without conversion to a paid subscription, automated tracking stops. The contract proposal is delivered within 48 working hours of the subscription request, but the transition window can cause a tracking gap if not planned.
DCSA callback coverage gap
OccasionalThe subscription callback API enables push-based event notifications, but coverage gaps or latency in callback delivery can mean missed milestone updates. A polling-only approach adds latency; a callback-only approach risks missed events.
How Expedion agents handle CMA CGM tracking
Expedion agents automate CMA CGM tracking with alliance-aware milestone consolidation and reliability-calibrated ETA management.
Agents consume CMA CGM's DCSA T&T v2.2 API (at apis.cma-cgm.net) for programmatic milestone updates. The subscription callback API is used for push-based event capture. A polling fallback runs alongside callbacks to ensure no milestone is missed due to callback delivery gaps.
When a CMA CGM booking routes on alliance partner tonnage (COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen, or ONE on Transatlantic services), agents consolidate milestones from the CMA CGM visibility platform and flag any tracking data gaps or delays from partner-operated legs. Customer-facing updates reflect the actual operating carrier context without confusing the consignee.
Agents calibrate ETA commitments against Ocean Alliance's ~68% schedule reliability baseline rather than Gemini's ~85% or an industry average. Cape of Good Hope routing for Asia-Europe/Med services is factored into transit time calculations. If CMA CGM returns specific services to Suez routing, agents adjust ETA models for the affected services.
Agents detect deviations from expected milestone timing, surface delays as exceptions when they exceed the reliability-calibrated threshold, and generate customer-facing updates that explain the delay context — port congestion, weather, alliance vessel swap, customs hold — rather than simply reporting the shipment as delayed.
Customer-facing tracking updates show the shipment status and expected arrival in the consignee's language. Alliance vessel identifiers, partner carrier codes, and alliance-internal voyage numbers are translated into clear routing descriptions.
Agents track which CMA CGM services are on Cape of Good Hope versus Suez routing and adjust transit time calculations per service string. The INDAMEX service's potential Suez routing is handled as a service-specific exception, not a carrier-level assumption.
For intermediary queries, agents use the behalf_of API parameter to query on behalf of the bill-to party, enabling third-party forwarders to access tracking data through CMA CGM's API without requiring direct bill-to-party credentials.
CMA CGM tracking channels and reliability
Available tracking channels, access methods, and reliability context for CMA CGM shipments.
| Channel | Access | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| My CMA CGM Portal | www.cma-cgm.com/ebusiness/tracking | Container, BL, booking search. Map view. Inland tracking. Shipment Dashboard. | Manual, browser-based. |
| DCSA T&T v2.2 API | api-portal.cma-cgm.com | Container milestones, document events, equipment events. Subscription callbacks. | REST API. Free 30-day trial, paid subscription after. behalf_of for third-party access. |
| EDI | IFTSTA, COPARN | Milestone updates, booking confirmations. | Via direct EDI, INTTRA, Infor Nexus, CargoSmart. |
| Email notifications | Portal-configured | Document availability, vessel milestones, shipment status changes. | Configurable alerts. |
| Schedule reliability | Sea-Intelligence GLP #177, April 2026 | Ocean Alliance ~68%, Gemini ~85%, MSC ~73%, Premier ~54% (Sea-Intelligence GLP #177, Mar/Apr 2026, ALL arrivals). | Alliance-level data. CMA CGM individual reliability not separately reported. |
Schedule reliability comparison
Carrier and alliance schedule reliability determines the variance window that ops teams should apply when making ETA commitments to consignees. Sea-Intelligence GLP #177 (April 2026, ALL arrivals) provides the baseline:
Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen): ~68% (67.6% point): Cape of Good Hope routing on most Asia-Europe/Med services compresses schedule buffers. The Day 10 Product (April 2026, 41 services, 394 vessels) is designed to improve this through denser port coverage.
Gemini (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd): ~85% (85.0% point): the highest sustained reliability in the industry, roughly 17 percentage points above Ocean Alliance.
MSC standalone: ~73% (73.4% point): post-2M dissolution, operating a standalone East-West network with dual Suez/Cape routing options.
Premier Alliance (ONE, HMM, Yang Ming): ~54% (54.2% point): the lowest of the four groupings.
These are alliance-level figures from a single reporting window (March/April 2026). CMA CGM's individual carrier reliability is not separately reported in public Sea-Intelligence releases. The ~68% figure is the correct baseline for ETA planning on CMA CGM shipments until Day 10 performance data becomes available.
Related pages
CMA CGM carrier pages: Overview · Booking · Shipping instructions · Bill of lading · Documentation
Tracking across carriers: Maersk tracking · MSC tracking · Hapag-Lloyd tracking · ONE tracking · COSCO tracking · Evergreen tracking
Solutions: Tracking automation
Frequently asked questions
What DCSA API version does CMA CGM support?
CMA CGM's tracking API conforms to DCSA Track & Trace v2.2.0, adopted in 2021. CMA CGM is a founding DCSA member. The API at api-portal.cma-cgm.com returns container milestones, document events, and equipment events. It supports subscription callbacks for push-based notifications and security headers (subscription-ID and notification-signature). DCSA v3.0 conformance for CMA CGM is not independently verified.
How does Expedion handle tracking for shipments on Ocean Alliance partner vessels?
When a CMA CGM booking sails on COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen, or ONE tonnage, Expedion agents consolidate milestones from CMA CGM's visibility platform and flag any tracking data gaps or delays from partner-operated legs. Customer-facing updates reflect the actual operating carrier and vessel without exposing confusing alliance identifiers. ETA predictions factor the operating carrier's performance history rather than CMA CGM's standalone baseline.
What is CMA CGM's schedule reliability?
Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen) averaged approximately 68% schedule reliability in March/April 2026 per Sea-Intelligence GLP #177 (ALL arrivals). For context: Gemini (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd) ran at ~85% (85.0% point), MSC standalone at ~73% (73.4% point), and Premier Alliance at ~54% (54.2% point). CMA CGM's individual carrier reliability is not separately reported. The ~68% figure is the correct baseline for ETA planning until Day 10 Product performance data becomes available.
Does CMA CGM offer push-based tracking notifications?
Yes. CMA CGM's DCSA T&T v2.2 API includes a subscription callback API for push-based event notifications. Clients subscribe to events for specific shipments and receive callbacks with container milestone, document event, and equipment event data. Security is enforced via subscription-ID and notification-signature headers. Expedion agents use callbacks as the primary notification mechanism with a polling fallback to ensure no events are missed.
How does Cape of Good Hope routing affect CMA CGM ETAs?
Most CMA CGM Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean services route via the Cape of Good Hope under the Ocean Alliance Day 10 Product, adding approximately 10–14 days compared to Suez transit times. CMA CGM briefly announced Suez returns for FAL 1, FAL 3, and MEX but pulled back in January 2026. The INDAMEX service may still route via Suez. Expedion agents check per-service routing rather than applying a carrier-level assumption, and adjust ETA calculations accordingly.
Is CMA CGM's tracking API free?
CMA CGM offers a free 30-day trial of the DCSA T&T v2.2 API with limited API call quotas. After the trial, a paid subscription is required — CMA CGM delivers a contract proposal within 48 working hours of the subscription request. The API base URL is apis.cma-cgm.net. Third-party access is supported via a behalf_of parameter for intermediaries querying on behalf of the bill-to party.
What is the behalf_of parameter in CMA CGM's API?
The behalf_of parameter in CMA CGM's DCSA T&T v2.2 API enables third-party intermediaries (such as freight forwarders or logistics platforms) to query tracking data on behalf of the bill-to party. This allows Expedion agents to access tracking information without requiring the forwarder's end customer to provide direct API credentials.