The manual documentation process on Maersk
A Maersk shipment requires four documentation sub-workflows beyond the SI and BL. Each has its own submission channel, deadline, and failure mode. The steps below walk through all four in order: VGM, Dangerous Goods, Advance Manifest, and Arrival Notices.
- 01
VGM: Determine weighing method and calculate verified gross mass
Select Method 1 (weigh the packed, sealed container on calibrated, certified equipment — subtracting truck and fuel weight if weighed on a road vehicle) or Method 2 (sum cargo items, packing, pallets, and securing equipment, then add the container's tare weight from Maersk's published tare-weight lookup). Method 2 is the more common approach for forwarders without access to calibrated port scales.
Pain pointThe shipper named on the Maersk BL is responsible for VGM under the SOLAS amendment effective 1 July 2016. Where a forwarder acts as master loader (consolidator), the responsibility sits with the forwarder as the BL shipper. Mis-assigned responsibility causes last-minute scrambles at cut-off.
- 02
VGM: Submit through digital channel before booking-stated deadline
Submit VGM through Maersk.com (primary), EDI, INTTRA, GT Nexus, CargoSmart, or the dedicated VGM API. Email and fax are accepted but discouraged — they require a separate signed certificate with the shipper's name and signature, and delay handover to terminals. The submission deadline is communicated per booking as part of the booking confirmation; there is no global fixed cut-off.
Pain pointDigital submissions don't require a separate signed certificate — Maersk records the submitter in the system. Ops staff who default to email create an avoidable paper trail and risk missing the terminal's load-list cut-off.
- 03
VGM: Reconcile VGM against SI gross weight
Before submission, compare the VGM figure against the SI gross weight. A mismatch beyond the enforcement tolerance (typically around 5% in most jurisdictions, set by the national SOLAS authority, not Maersk) triggers rejection downstream. Maersk runs automated follow-up for missing VGMs — a container without a verified VGM will not be included in the final load list regardless of how close to cut-off it sits.
Pain pointVGM weight discrepancy with SI is the most common single cause of SI rejection on Maersk shipments. The tolerance is not published by Maersk — forwarders learn it through trial and error at each port.
- 04
DG: Flag dangerous cargo at booking with IMO class and UN number
At booking time on Maersk.com, tick the 'This cargo is considered dangerous' checkbox and select Add Dangerous Goods per container. Enter the IMO class and UN number (UNNO). Maersk does not require the full DGD or MSDS at booking — just the hazard identifiers. Maersk's DG team reviews the classification against vessel, route, and port restrictions and returns a DG approval status.
Pain pointTo check DG approval status, ops teams navigate Case Management → Booking → Hazardous Booking → Check DG Approval Status. Maersk's stated SLA is 4 working hours for case resolution, but actual turnaround on busy lanes can be longer.
- 05
DG: Submit final DG documentation and MSDS via Case Management
Before port cut-off, submit the full Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD) using the IMDG-compliant multimodal form via Case Management → Booking → Hazardous Booking → Submit Final DG Documentation. Accepted formats: Excel, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, or image. Attach the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each hazardous commodity. Maersk explicitly requires forwarders to delete irrelevant fields from prior shipments in the DGDR template and include only details applicable to the current cargo.
Pain pointStale fields from prior shipments left in the DGDR template are a known cause of last-minute challenges, port fines, and shut-outs. The proper shipping name is always required; packing group, marine pollutant flag, and technical name only when applicable to the specific UN number.
- 06
DG: Apply vehicle classification rules for hybrid lithium-battery bookings
Since November 2021, all Maersk vehicle bookings default to non-dangerous unless the shipper explicitly declares otherwise. Hybrid vehicles with lithium batteries must be declared as DG under UN 3166, Class 9 with no exemptions. Other vehicles can move non-dangerous if they comply with IMO Special Provision SP961 and do not use lithium-ion as their electrical source. If a vehicle booking needs to be converted to DG, the DGD must land with Maersk no later than 24 hours prior to port cut-off.
Pain pointVehicle bookings miscategorised as non-DG that get caught late under the 24-hour vehicle DGD rule are a recurring problem. The conversion from non-DG to DG booking requires re-approval and documentation within a compressed window.
- 07
Manifest: Prepare master BL data for Maersk's 40-hour advance manifest deadline
Maersk, as the ocean carrier, must submit advance manifest data to destination customs authorities. Per Maersk's own FAQ, three manifest types apply: Export Manifest (2 days before vessel departure from first load port), Advance Manifest for AMS/ACI/ENS/AFR destinations (final submission 40 hours prior to vessel arrival at the load port), and Import Manifest (5–7 days before arrival for long/medium transit, 2 days for short). Ops teams must ensure master BL shipping instructions are submitted to Maersk per deadlines so the carrier can manifest and transmit to customs.
Pain pointThe 40-hour advance manifest window is measured from vessel arrival at the load port, not from vessel departure. Teams anchoring to the wrong reference point file late.
- 08
Manifest: Ensure NVOCC house-bill filing meets 24-hour rule for destination customs
Forwarders acting as NVOCCs must submit their own house BL data directly to US/Canada customs (CBP/CBSA) at least 24 hours prior to loading — Maersk does not file house-level data on behalf of NVOCCs. Under EU ICS2, vessel operators have been live since 3 June 2024 and house-bill filers since 4 December 2024 with the same 24-hour-before-loading requirement. Japan (AFR), Mexico (AMS equivalent), and South Africa (SARS) each have their own 24-hour-rule variants.
Pain pointNVOCCs miss deadlines far more often than shippers do. The cost falls on the shipment regardless of who caused the delay — cargo hold, carrier or NVOCC penalties, removal for CBP inspection, denial of discharge, and potentially return of cargo to the load port.
- 09
Manifest: Monitor manifest acknowledgement and handle rejections
After filing, monitor for customs acknowledgement. A manifest rejection that is not corrected before cut-off triggers a cargo hold. For US-bound cargo, CBP can pull the container for inspection or deny discharge at the destination port. The carrier-forwarder handshake requires both sides to file on time — a gap on either the master or house side causes the same outcome.
Pain pointManifest rejections surface as high-priority exceptions but often arrive during off-hours. Teams without 24/7 coverage risk missing the correction window.
- 10
Pre-alert: Pull Arrival Notice from Maersk Hub or subscription email
Maersk issues an Arrival Notice (ANF/NOA) to import parties 24–96 hours prior to vessel arrival at the port of discharge. The notice carries vessel/voyage, party details, cargo and container details, ETA at discharge, and outstanding charges. Access via Maersk Hub → Shipment Binder → Documents → Documents Issued (PDF download), email subscription (auto-delivered per vessel), or API/EDI for TMS-integrated forwarders.
- 11
Pre-alert: Generate forwarder-branded notice to consignee
Parse the Arrival Notice and prepare a branded pre-alert to the end consignee formatted in the forwarder's communication style. The pre-alert enables the consignee to start customs clearance, request the delivery order, clear outstanding Maersk charges, and arrange haulage.
Pain pointLate or missed pre-alerts push customs clearance, delivery order requests, and haulage coordination into the detention and demurrage clock. Every hour of delay after vessel arrival compounds cost.
- 12
Pre-alert: Pre-stage LoA or BL copy for restricted-geography clearing agents
Third-party clearing agents not named on the shipment cannot request an Arrival Notice directly from Maersk in every geography. In regions with strict confidentiality rules (e.g. South Africa), clearing agents need either a Letter of Authorisation from the consignee on company letterhead or a copy of the relevant Bill of Lading. Without one, no Arrival Notice is released.
Pain pointOps teams working for customs brokers who ask Maersk for the ANF at the last minute without LoA or BL in hand cause clearance delays that are entirely preventable with upfront preparation.
Where Maersk documentation errors happen
The most common Maersk documentation failures, one per sub-workflow. Each is fully preventable with the right submission timing and data validation.
Missing or mismatched VGM at gate-in
CommonAt terminals that enforce the 'No VGM, No Gate-in' policy strictly, truckers are turned away at the gate until the VGM is keyed in. At terminals that accept the container without VGM, Maersk places the container on VGM hold and all associated movement costs fall to the shipper. A VGM that does not match the SI gross weight within the national SOLAS tolerance (typically around 5%) triggers a downstream rejection, turning a routine submission into a two-step correction under time pressure.
DG declaration rejected — stale DGDR fields or vessel slot unavailable
OccasionalForwarders reusing the standard DGDR template from a prior shipment without deleting irrelevant fields (packing group, marine pollutant flag, technical name that don't apply to the current UN number) trigger rejection. Separately, some vessel or route combinations have limited DG slots — a late DG booking approval means no slot, no load. Vehicle bookings defaulting to non-dangerous when the vehicle contains lithium batteries (UN 3166, Class 9) get caught at the 24-hour-before-cut-off DGD deadline.
Advance manifest filed past cut-off
OccasionalMissing the 40-hour advance manifest deadline or the 24-hour-before-loading house-bill filing triggers cargo hold at origin or transshipment, carrier and NVOCC penalties, removal for CBP inspection, denial of discharge at the destination port, and potentially return of cargo to the load port. NVOCCs miss house-bill deadlines far more often than shippers miss master-BL deadlines, and the cost falls on the shipment regardless of who caused the delay.
Late or missed arrival notice causing detention and demurrage exposure
CommonWhen the forwarder does not pull the Arrival Notice in time (or does not generate a branded pre-alert to the consignee promptly), all downstream activities — customs clearance, delivery order request, charge settlement, haulage arrangement — shift into the detention and demurrage clock. In geographies where clearing agents cannot access the ANF without an LoA or BL copy, last-minute requests to Maersk cause preventable clearance delays.
How Expedion agents handle Maersk documentation
Expedion's AI agents automate all four documentation sub-workflows for Maersk shipments. Every capability maps to a specific sub-workflow or cross-document check.
Agents pull weight data from the shipper's packing list and the forwarder's TMS, calculate Method 2 VGM (cargo + packing + tare) using Maersk's published tare-weight lookup, and submit through the same digital channel used for the SI. The VGM is reconciled against the SI gross weight before submission — preventing the tolerance-mismatch rejection that is the most common single cause of SI rejection on Maersk. Submission happens well before the booking-confirmation-stated deadline, and the system flags any missing VGM against active shipments approaching cut-off.
For DG shipments, agents split the workflow: booking-stage flagging (IMO class and UN number entered at booking time, DG checkbox ticked) and pre-departure DGD submission (full IMDG-compliant form generated from the shipper's data, stale fields stripped, MSDS attached). Case Management submissions are routed through the correct Hazardous Booking category and the 4-working-hour SLA is tracked as an exception metric. For vehicle bookings, agents apply the hybrid-lithium-battery classification rule automatically and flag any booking where lithium-ion is the power source for DG declaration under UN 3166.
Agents prepare and validate master BL data in time for the Maersk carrier-side manifest deadline (well in advance of the 40-hour advance manifest cut-off), and flag house BL data gaps so the forwarder's NVOCC desk can file their side directly to CBP/CBSA/ICS2/AFR before the 24-hour rule. The agent tracks Maersk's acknowledgement per filing and surfaces manifest rejections as high-priority exceptions — because a rejection that isn't corrected before cut-off triggers the cargo hold.
For import shipments, agents pull Arrival Notices automatically from Maersk Hub or the subscription email channel, parse the vessel/voyage, ETA, container list, and outstanding charges, and generate the forwarder's branded pre-alert to the end consignee — formatted in the forwarder's communication style and sent from the forwarder's domain. For clearing-agent customers, agents pre-stage the LoA or BL copy required for Arrival Notice access in geographies that enforce the authorisation rule.
Agents verify consistency across all documentation: VGM matches SI gross weight, DG declaration matches booking hazard flags, manifest data matches BL details, and pre-alert content matches BL party and cargo information. Mismatches are surfaced before submission rather than after rejection.
Every submission is logged with channel (Maersk.com, EDI, INTTRA, Case Management, email), timestamp, submitter identity, and Maersk acknowledgement reference. For DG and VGM — where regulatory liability is real — the audit trail is designed to be exportable as evidence of compliance if a SOLAS or CBP inquiry is ever raised.
Maersk documentation details
Key details for ops teams managing documentation sub-workflows on Maersk shipments, organised by sub-workflow.
| Sub-workflow | Channel | Typical cut-off | Failure consequence | Expedion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VGM | Maersk.com, EDI, INTTRA, VGM API | Per booking confirmation (no global fixed deadline) | No VGM, No Gate-in or VGM hold; costs to shipper | Full |
| DG (booking approval) | Maersk.com DG checkbox + Case Management | At booking; 4 working-hour SLA | DG slot rejection, route restriction | Full |
| DG (final documentation) | Case Management | Before port cut-off (vehicles: 24h prior) | Shut-out, port fines, stale-field rejection | Full |
| Advance Manifest (carrier) | Carrier-filed to customs | 40 hours before vessel arrival at load port | Cargo hold, denial of discharge, return to load port | Full |
| Advance Manifest (NVOCC) | Filed direct to CBP/CBSA/ICS2/AFR | 24 hours before loading | Cargo hold, carrier/NVOCC penalties | Flagging + gap detection |
| Arrival Notice | Hub, email subscription, API/EDI | 24–96 hours before vessel arrival | Clearance delay, detention/demurrage exposure | Full |
| ENS (EU ICS2) | ICS2 system | 24h before loading (vessel operators 3 Jun 2024; house filers 4 Dec 2024) | No MRN / No Load at EU ports | Flagging |
TMS compatibility for Maersk documentation
Expedion agents manage Maersk documentation workflows from within your existing TMS. For CargoWise users, agents submit VGM and DG data via the eAdaptor API and pull Arrival Notices through EDI integration. For GoFreight and Magaya, agents use the respective REST and Open APIs for VGM submission, DG data flow, and manifest preparation.
Full TMS compatibility details are on the Maersk overview page.
Related pages
Maersk carrier pages: Maersk overview · Shipping instructions · Bill of lading · Booking · Tracking & visibility
Documentation across carriers: Documentation automation · MSC documentation · CMA CGM documentation · Hapag-Lloyd documentation · ONE documentation · COSCO documentation · Evergreen documentation
Frequently asked questions
How does VGM submission work for Maersk shipments?
VGM is mandatory under SOLAS for every packed export container. Two methods are permitted: Method 1 (weigh the packed container on certified equipment) or Method 2 (calculate cargo + packing + tare using Maersk's published tare-weight lookup). Submit through Maersk.com, EDI, INTTRA, or the VGM API before the deadline stated in the booking confirmation. Digital submissions don't require a separate signed certificate. Expedion agents calculate Method 2 VGM, reconcile against SI gross weight, and submit automatically.
What does Maersk require for dangerous goods declarations?
Maersk splits DG handling into two phases. At booking time, flag the cargo as dangerous with the IMO class and UN number — Maersk does not require the full DGD or MSDS at this stage. Before port cut-off, submit the full Dangerous Goods Declaration and MSDS via Case Management. Maersk's DG approval SLA is 4 working hours. For vehicle bookings, hybrid vehicles with lithium batteries must be declared as DG under UN 3166, Class 9 with no exemptions.
When must advance manifest data be filed for Maersk shipments?
Maersk must file advance manifest data 40 hours before vessel arrival at the load port for AMS, ACI, ENS, and AFR destinations. Separately, the US and Canada 24-hour rule requires master and house BL data to be submitted at least 24 hours before loading. NVOCCs must file house BL data directly to customs — Maersk does not file house-level data on their behalf. EU ICS2 house-bill filing has been live since 4 December 2024. Missing any deadline triggers cargo hold and potential denial of discharge.
What happens if a pre-alert is late or missed on a Maersk shipment?
Maersk issues Arrival Notices 24–96 hours before vessel arrival. If the forwarder does not pull the notice and generate a branded pre-alert to the consignee promptly, all downstream activities — customs clearance, delivery order request, charge settlement, haulage — shift into the detention and demurrage clock. In geographies like South Africa, clearing agents cannot access the notice without an LoA or BL copy, adding another friction point if not staged in advance.