The documentation workflow problem
A single shipment generates four parallel documentation workflows beyond the SI and BL: VGM submission, dangerous goods declaration, advance manifest filing for whichever jurisdictions apply, and arrival notice or pre-alert generation. Each has its own portal, its own deadline, and its own failure mode. A missed VGM cut-off triggers "No VGM, No Gate-in" at the terminal. A misdeclared DG cargo incurs five-figure penalties from the carrier or the regulator. A missed advance manifest filing can hold the cargo for inspection or deny discharge.
Three distinct advance manifest regimes apply to most international flows: AMS for US-bound cargo, ACI for Canada, and ICS2 Release 3 for the EU (live for vessel operators since 3 June 2024 and for house-level filers since 4 December 2024). Each has its own filing window, its own data fields, and its own enforcement mechanism. Generalising them to "advance manifest filing" blurs three separately-regulated systems.
Alliance routing complicates pre-alert generation. When the operating carrier differs from the booking carrier under a vessel-sharing or slot-exchange arrangement, the pre-alert must target the operating carrier's destination office and tracking feed. The wrong office gets the pre-alert, customs clearance stalls, detention and demurrage start.
How it varies by carrier
Documentation varies across VGM submission channels, DG declaration workflows, advance manifest regimes, and pre-alert generation. These are the top-line differences; each carrier's documentation page has the full workflow.
Maersk
Maersk publishes a 4 working-hour DG approval SLA on Case Management, the only Tier 1 carrier with a committed turnaround time, against which the other six are not confirmed in public sources or local-office best-effort. Vehicle bookings default to non-DG since November 2021 with hybrid lithium batteries declared as UN 3166 Class 9 with no exemptions; the conversion from non-DG to DG requires DGD submission no later than 24 hours prior to port cut-off. Maersk files advance manifest data 40 hours before vessel arrival at the load port for AMS, ACI, ENS, and AFR destinations, and Arrival Notices are issued 24 to 96 hours before vessel arrival via Maersk Hub, email subscription, or API/EDI.
MSC
ICS2 filing on MSC uses IFTMIN EDI segments or the myMSC EU Customs module across the full set of options (F10, F11, F12/F13, F14/F15/F17), with No MRN, No Load enforced and a deep-sea data cut-off 24 hours before estimated loading. MSC does not publish a DG approval SLA (Maersk publishes 4 working hours; MSC does not), and DG critical cargoes (flexitanks, coils, stone blocks, glass, charcoal, shredded rubbers, fish meal, cotton, lithium batteries) may require an LOI from the merchant before booking acceptance per MSC US T&Cs. The US fee schedule effective 1 February 2025 includes a $300/container VGM Mis-declaration Fee, $25/container Manual VGM Submission Fee for email or fax, and $25/container Late VGM Submission Fee.
CMA CGM
CMA CGM operates under three SCAC codes (CMDU for CMA CGM, ANNU for ANL, APLU for APL) that route documentation through different local agency teams with different document templates; the booked brand affects which team handles VGM, DG, manifest filing, and pre-alert workflows. eVGM submission via My CMA CGM or VERMAS EDI avoids manual fees of $25/container in Canada and EUR 50/container in Germany; VGM amendments after the port-specific cut-off cost $100/container in Canada and EUR 110/container in Germany. DG bookings require DCO acceptance from one of five global offices (Marseille, Le Havre, Norfolk, Hong Kong, Melbourne) with no published DG approval SLA, and Ocean Alliance partner-vessel DG restrictions can override CMA CGM DCO acceptance even after a CMA CGM-issued acceptance number.
Hapag-Lloyd
VGM submission runs through OBS webVGM, VGM Excel template upload, EDI VERMAS, or the API at api-portal.hlag.com; manual transmission via email or fax triggers EUR 50/container in Germany or USD 50/container minimum across Europe (since July 2016). The US FIO (Fines for Incorrect Declaration of Cargo at Origin) schedule charges USD 15,000 per DG misdeclaration since November 2020 and USD 4,500 to USD 9,000 per non-DG misdeclaration; Hapag-Lloyd does not publish a DG approval SLA. ICS2 enforcement is 'No MRN / No Load' since September 2024, and from 1 April 2025 a Security Manifest Documentation Fee (SMD code) of USD 35 per House BL applies when Hapag-Lloyd files house BL data on the customer's behalf.
ONE
ONE's Premier Alliance with HMM and Yang Ming and the separate MSC slot exchange on 9 Asia-Europe services means the BL issuer (and therefore the ENS filer and pre-alert source) can differ from the booking carrier: for ONE bookings sailing on MSC slot exchange tonnage ONE remains the BL issuer and the responsible ENS filer; for MSC bookings on Premier Alliance tonnage MSC files. Forwarders must identify the BL-issuing carrier to route pre-alerts to the correct destination office. ICS2 ENS lodgement runs from 8 October 2024 with F10, F11, and F12/F13 filing options; the Entry Summary Declaration Surcharge of USD 35/BL applies for carrier-side transmission since 2018, with F11 ESD calculated on total document count for one Master plus multiple House BLs. UK VGM penalties are GBP 130/container late and GBP 142/container misdeclaration; Singapore is the only ONE port with a documented DG approval timeline (PM4 5 working days before vessel ETA at Singapore by 1200hrs, container-numbered final PM4 2 working days before by 1200hrs).
COSCO
SynCon Hub at synconhub.coscoshipping.com is COSCO's primary documentation portal for Chinese-origin cargo (44+ countries served, with Channel L for China export logistics), and the carrier-imposed USD 20,000 misdeclaration 'special handling cost' payable within 2 working days of invoice is the highest published carrier-level DG penalty among Tier 1 carriers (Hapag-Lloyd's USD 15,000 US FIO is regulator-imposed, not carrier-imposed). IMDG Amendment 42-24 mandatory from 1 January 2026 fully regulates carbon products with no exemptions, adds sodium ion batteries as Class 9, and requires lithium battery test documentation upstream, three changes that disproportionately affect China-origin manufacturing exports. ICS2 supports F10, F12/F13 filing types only (no F11) with No MRN, No Load enforcement; CSCL-merger heritage container prefixes (CCLU, CSLU, CBHU, COCU) and leased equipment prefix CICU all route under COSU for VGM, DG, and manifest filing.
Evergreen
ShipmentLink web/mobile, INTTRA eVGM (VERMAS), or the direct DCSA VGM API via the ShipmentLink Developer Portal handle VGM submission, with country-office email fallback (UK example: VGM@evergreen-marine.co.uk); Evergreen publishes a consolidated VGM Submission Guide PDF on shipmentlink.com as the operational reference, and Evergreen received national customs authority approval for a delayed ICS2 Release 3 go-live, live from 15 October 2024 rather than the 3 June 2024 industry general live date. ICS2 supports F10, F12/F13 filing types with No MRN, No Load enforcement; Evergreen does NOT publish a carrier-level DG misdeclaration penalty equivalent to COSCO's USD 20,000 within-two-working-days structure (regulatory fines from flag-state authorities still apply, but Evergreen's recovery policy is unconfirmed in public sources). Mediterranean cargo on Italia Marittima (IMT) operating tonnage may carry Trieste-address IMT party identifiers and LTIU or IMTU container prefixes that need to be carried through into AMS, ACI, and ICS2 filings rather than defaulted to EGLV without operator confirmation.
How it varies by TMS
Across the seven Tier 1 carriers, TMSs handle the forwarder side of documentation through consistent integration patterns. CargoWise users connect via eAdaptor (XML over SOAP) for VGM submission via VERMAS EDI, DG declaration data, and manifest preparation. GoFreight uses REST APIs against carrier endpoints where they exist (Hapag-Lloyd at api-portal.hlag.com, ONE at developers.one-line.com, ShipmentLink Developer Portal for Evergreen DCSA VGM API) and operates browser-based against SynCon Hub or My CMA CGM where they do not. Magaya routes through Open API or Magaya Connect with carrier-API mappings. Logi-Sys handles high-volume EDI flows via INTTRA. Descartes, with compliance-focused positioning, provides direct AMS, ACI, and ICS2 filing capability that complements rather than replaces the carrier-side advance manifest.
What is uneven across the TMS layer: VGM submission via API is well-supported across CargoWise eAdaptor and most carriers' VERMAS EDI flows, but DG declaration generation typically requires the TMS to host an IMDG library (Descartes and CargoWise do; mid-market TMSs vary). AMS and ACI advance manifest filing is mature and broadly supported. ICS2 Release 3 (live in stages from 3 June 2024 for vessel operators and 4 December 2024 for house-level filers) has uneven TMS support, particularly for the supplementary declarant filing types (F14/F15/F17) where some forwarders still drive the carrier portal directly. Pre-alert generation is mostly handled outside the TMS by carrier portals and email subscriptions, with the TMS serving as the destination for the parsed arrival notice rather than the source. Where the TMS does not cover a given document type or filing regime, agents drive the carrier's portal directly and write the confirmation back so the documentation record stays in sync with the SI and BL.
How Expedion handles documentation
Seven capabilities cover the full documentation workflow across every Tier 1 carrier. Each one maps to friction patterns documented on the per-carrier documentation pages.
Submit through each carrier's primary digital channel (Maersk.com, myMSC, My CMA CGM eVGM, OBS webVGM, ONE eCommerce, SynCon Hub or COP, ShipmentLink) or EDI (VERMAS via INTTRA, Infor Nexus, CargoSmart). Pull verified gross mass from the weighbridge certificate (SOLAS Method 1) or calculate from cargo, packaging, and tare (SOLAS Method 2) using each carrier's published tare-weight lookup. Avoid manual VGM fees: $25/container Canada CMA CGM, EUR 50/container Germany CMA CGM, EUR 50/container Hapag-Lloyd Germany, USD 50/container Europe minimum Hapag-Lloyd, $25/container MSC US. Cross-check declared VGM against SI gross weight and terminal-weighed values where available before submission, preventing the highest-impact fee on the spoke: MSC's $300/container US Mis-declaration Fee.
Generate IMDG-compliant DG declarations from the shipper's data with proper shipping name, IMO class, UN number, packing group, marine pollutant flag, and technical name as required by UN number. Apply IMDG Amendment 42-24 requirements (mandatory 1 January 2026): carbon products fully regulated with no exemptions, sodium ion batteries added as Class 9, lithium battery upstream test documentation required at booking stage. Track DG approval against published SLAs where they exist (Maersk 4 working hours via Case Management; ONE Singapore PM4 5 working days before vessel ETA by 1200hrs) and against best-effort timelines where they do not (MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE outside Singapore, COSCO, Evergreen). Surface carrier-level misdeclaration penalties at validation: COSCO USD 20,000 within 2 working days (carrier-imposed), Hapag-Lloyd USD 15,000 US FIO (regulator), MSC critical-cargo LOI gate. CMA CGM DG bookings on Ocean Alliance partner-operated vessels are flagged for partner DG policy check (CMA CGM DCO acceptance is not sufficient if the partner vessel has stricter restrictions).
Route EU-bound cargo through the correct ICS2 filing path based on NVOCC role: F10 (complete master with no HBL), F11 (complete master plus HBL data), F12/F13 (carrier-only variants), F14/F15/F17 (supplementary declarant filings). Carrier support varies: MSC supports the full set (F10, F11, F12/F13, F14/F15/F17); ONE supports F10, F11, and F12/F13; COSCO and Evergreen support F10 and F12/F13 only (no F11). Use each carrier's correct mechanism: MSC IFTMIN EDI segments or myMSC EU Customs module (NOT the Maersk HBL/NVOCC/SCAC/Master keyword workaround); CMA CGM dedicated ICS2 fields on the eBusiness portal since 9 November 2024 with BL Remarks prefix workaround for pending elements; Hapag-Lloyd New SI form (never eaSI) for ICS2 fields. Validate EORI numbers and complete buyer/seller addresses, monitor MRN generation, and trigger re-submission before the No MRN, No Load cut-off (24 hours before estimated loading for deep-sea).
Handle the three jurisdictions distinctly. AMS for US: 24-hour rule for most carriers (Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, COSCO, Evergreen); Maersk's 40-hour version measured from vessel arrival at load port; ONE 28-hour rule measured from vessel arrival at first US port; CBP auto-rejection of vague descriptions (FAK, general cargo, parts, samples) since 27 September 2025. ACI for Canada: 24 to 96 hours before arrival or loading depending on shipment type; CAD 750 late filing penalty, CAD 8,000 non-submission. ICS2 for EU: covered separately above. Coordinate carrier-side master BL filing with NVOCC house-level filing where the forwarder's NVOCC desk handles their own house BLs (separate filings, same cargo-hold consequence on either side gap). Surface manifest fee transparency: Hapag-Lloyd USD 35/House BL Security Manifest Documentation Fee (SMD code, from 1 April 2025) when the carrier files on the customer's behalf; ONE USD 35/BL Entry Summary Declaration Surcharge for carrier-side ENS transmission since 2018.
For import shipments, pull arrival notices from each carrier's published channel: Maersk Hub, email subscription, or API/EDI; myMSC Documents screen by BL or booking; My CMA CGM document dashboard; Hapag-Lloyd OBS or destination-office email; ONE eCommerce or destination-office email; SynCon Hub or COP for COSCO; ShipmentLink for Evergreen. Generate forwarder-branded pre-alerts to the end consignee with vessel/voyage, ETA, container list, outstanding charges, and clearance instructions. Detect the operating carrier when it differs from the booking carrier: for ONE bookings on MSC slot exchange tonnage, ONE remains the BL issuer and pre-alert source; for MSC bookings on Premier Alliance tonnage, MSC files; Ocean Alliance and Gemini have analogous slot-exchange patterns that need source-grounded handling per carrier rather than generalisation. For Evergreen Mediterranean cargo on IMT operating tonnage, carry Italia Marittima party identifiers (Trieste address) and LTIU or IMTU container prefixes through into the pre-alert rather than defaulting to EGLV.
Verify 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. For LC shipments, additionally cross-check goods description character-for-character against LC terms.
Log every submission with channel (carrier portal, EDI, API, email, fax), timestamp, submitter identity, and carrier acknowledgement reference. For VGM (SOLAS) and DG (IMDG, ICS2, AMS) workflows where regulatory liability is real, the audit trail supports SOLAS, CBP, CBSA, ICS2, and customs inquiry response. Track per-carrier penalty exposure (Hapag-Lloyd USD 15,000 DG misdeclaration FIO; COSCO USD 20,000 carrier-imposed; MSC $300 VGM mis-declaration; CMA CGM EUR 110/container Germany VGM after-cut-off; ONE GBP 130/142 UK VGM late/misdeclaration; Evergreen carrier-level DG penalty not published, regulatory only) so that rework prevention is anchored against the actual financial impact.
Related pages
Documentation by carrier: Maersk · MSC · CMA CGM · Hapag-Lloyd · ONE · COSCO · Evergreen
Hubs: Carriers hub · Solutions hub
Other solutions: Shipping instructions · Booking · Bill of lading · Tracking
Frequently asked questions
Can AI handle DG declarations given the liability involved?
The IMDG-compliant declaration is generated automatically from the shipper's data with proper shipping name, IMO class, UN number, packing group, marine pollutant flag, and technical name validated against UN-number-specific rules. IMDG Amendment 42-24 requirements (mandatory 1 January 2026) are applied at validation: carbon products fully regulated with no exemptions, sodium ion batteries added as Class 9, lithium battery test documentation required upstream at booking stage. Approval tracking varies sharply by carrier because the SLA landscape is uneven: Maersk publishes a 4 working-hour Case Management SLA target and ONE publishes a Singapore-specific PM4 5 working-day window, but MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, COSCO, and Evergreen publish no global DG approval SLA. The human-in-the-loop sign-off is reserved for ambiguous classifications, military or dual-use cargo (which on MSC requires a full pre-booking document set before any booking acceptance), and shipments where the carrier-imposed misdeclaration penalty is material (COSCO USD 20,000 within 2 working days; Hapag-Lloyd USD 15,000 US FIO regulatory fine). Inventing a DG approval turnaround for a carrier that does not publish one is not safer than flagging the gap; on MSC and the four other carriers without published SLAs, the agent surfaces the unconfirmed turnaround to the reviewer rather than promising a number.
How does advance manifest filing work across US, Canada, and EU?
Three distinct regimes for three distinct jurisdictions. AMS (US): the 24-hour rule, master manifest data filed 24 hours before cargo loading at the foreign port, with carrier-specific variations (Maersk's 40-hour rule measured from vessel arrival at load port; ONE's 28-hour rule measured from vessel arrival at the first US port). CBP auto-rejects vague descriptions (FAK, general cargo, parts, samples) since 27 September 2025. ACI (Canada): a 24 to 96 hour window before arrival or loading depending on shipment type, with CAD 750 late filing and CAD 8,000 non-submission penalties. ICS2 Release 3 (EU): live for vessel operators since 3 June 2024 and for house-level filers since 4 December 2024, covering EU, Norway, Switzerland, and Northern Ireland. Filing options use the grouped form F10, F11, F12/F13, F14/F15/F17: F10 is complete master with no HBL, F11 is complete master plus HBL data, F12/F13 are carrier-only variants, and F14/F15/F17 are supplementary declarant filings. Carrier support varies: MSC supports the full set; ONE supports F10, F11, and F12/F13; COSCO and Evergreen support F10 and F12/F13 only. No MRN, No Load is enforced across the major carriers, with deep-sea cut-off 24 hours before estimated loading.
Which carriers have the best VGM portal coverage?
All seven Tier 1 carriers offer multi-channel VGM submission spanning the carrier portal, EDI VERMAS (via INTTRA, Infor Nexus, or CargoSmart), and an API where one is published. Portals: Maersk.com, myMSC, My CMA CGM eVGM, Hapag-Lloyd OBS webVGM (plus VGM Excel template upload), ONE eCommerce (per-container or Excel mass upload, plus mobile app), SynCon Hub or COP for COSCO, ShipmentLink web/mobile for Evergreen. Direct DCSA VGM API support is published for Hapag-Lloyd (api-portal.hlag.com), ONE (developers.one-line.com), and Evergreen (ShipmentLink Developer Portal); other carriers route VGM through VERMAS EDI rather than a dedicated DCSA VGM API. SOLAS Method 1 (weigh the packed container) and Method 2 (cargo plus packing plus tare) are accepted by every Tier 1 carrier, with the shipper named on the BL responsible for declaration. Manual submission via email or fax triggers fees on several carriers ($25/container Canada CMA CGM, EUR 50/container Germany CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, USD 50/container Europe minimum Hapag-Lloyd, $25/container MSC US), so the portal-or-EDI default avoids unnecessary cost.
How do pre-alerts get routed when the operating carrier differs from the booking carrier?
Alliance and slot-exchange arrangements mean the BL issuer (and therefore the ENS filer and pre-alert source) can differ from the booking carrier on a per-shipment basis. ONE's Premier Alliance with HMM and Yang Ming and the separate MSC slot exchange on 9 Asia-Europe services is the cleanest example: for ONE bookings sailing on MSC slot exchange tonnage, ONE remains the BL issuer and the responsible ENS filer; for MSC bookings on Premier Alliance tonnage, MSC files; forwarders must identify the BL-issuing carrier to route pre-alerts to the correct destination office. Ocean Alliance has analogous patterns where a CMA CGM, COSCO, or Evergreen booking may execute on a partner member's tonnage; Gemini Cooperation has a similar pattern between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. For Evergreen Mediterranean cargo on Italia Marittima (IMT) operating tonnage, Trieste-address IMT party identifiers and LTIU or IMTU container prefixes need to be carried through into pre-alerts rather than defaulted to EGLV. Expedion agents detect the operating carrier from each booking confirmation and adjust pre-alert routing, tracking polling, and customs filing destinations accordingly, rather than assuming the booking carrier is the operating carrier.
What happens when customs documents don't match the SI details?
Cross-document inconsistency is one of the most common documentation failure modes. Mismatched commercial invoice values, party details, or cargo descriptions between the SI, VGM declaration, DG documentation, advance manifest, and pre-alert propagate downstream, triggering customs holds at destination, ICS2 ENS rejection, AMS auto-rejection (CBP since 27 September 2025), or carrier-side amendment fees. Expedion agents validate documents against the SI as the source of truth before any submission and surface mismatches with field-level callouts to the reviewer rather than after rejection. For LC shipments, the goods description is additionally cross-checked character-for-character against the LC terms, since banks reject BLs with even minor wording differences. The cost of catching a mismatch before submission is the reviewer's time; the cost of catching it after submission is per-carrier amendment fees, customs holds, and detention or demurrage on the cargo.