Free Arrival Notice Data Sheet Template

A notification from the carrier, NVOCC or destination agent that a shipment has arrived or is about to arrive, setting out the vessel and voyage, ETA, terminal, B/L and container references, the charges due before release and the free time available. It is informational — it does not authorise collection of the cargo.

No. The arrival notice tells you the cargo has arrived. The delivery order authorises the terminal to release it to a named party. Between the two sit the carrier release — which requires the transport document to be surrendered or released and charges to be settled — and the customs release. Holding an arrival notice does not entitle you to collect anything.

It depends on the tariff, and the wording matters. Some tariffs run free time from discharge, others from the date the container is made available. On a shipment held for examination those dates can be days apart. Take the last free day from the notice where one is stated, but confirm it against the governing tariff or service contract, because the notice is the carrier's statement rather than the contract.

The notify party named on the Bill of Lading, and usually the consignee. This is exactly why the notify party field matters when the B/L is prepared: naming a customs broker or a destination office that actively monitors arrivals is materially better than naming a head-office address where the notice will sit unread.

Match it to your shipment file, diarise the last free day with a working deadline two days earlier, confirm the release requirement and start any action it needs, check the charges against the quotation, confirm the customs entry is filed, and book haulage against the named terminal. Almost all avoidable demurrage is generated in the days between the notice arriving and someone acting on it.

Yes, and it is easier before payment than after. Compare each line against the quotation and the service contract, and query undisclosed charges immediately in writing. Be aware that the carrier will usually not release cargo while charges are outstanding, so an unresolved dispute can generate demurrage — which is why raising it the day the notice lands matters more than the merits of the argument.

The final day on which the container can be collected without incurring demurrage. It is derived from the free-time start event plus the allowance, under the tariff's counting convention — so it moves if the start event, the allowance or the convention differs from what you assumed. Take the stated date from the notice and reconcile it against your own calculation rather than trusting either alone.

No. The arrival notice is a carrier or agent communication about the transport leg. Customs clearance is a separate process with its own timeline, and cargo can sit under a customs hold with a perfectly valid carrier release in place. Both releases are needed before a delivery order will issue.

Query it immediately and do not proceed on the assumption that it is a typographical error. A mismatch may mean the notice relates to a different shipment, that containers were substituted, or that a reference was corrupted in a carrier system. Validate the check digits on both sets, and get written confirmation of which containers actually carry your cargo before booking haulage.

Yes, and it usually should be. A pre-arrival notice sent several days before ETA gives the consignee time to arrange clearance, funds and haulage, and is far more useful than a notice sent on the day of discharge. Some carriers issue both a pre-arrival and a final arrival notice.

Destination terminal handling, documentation or delivery order fees, any collect ocean freight, container cleaning or maintenance charges where applicable, customs-related disbursements, and on LCL shipments deconsolidation and CFS handling. Demurrage and detention appear later, if incurred. Every line should be traceable to a quotation or a published tariff.

Yes. Extracting an arrival notice captures the vessel, ETA, port, terminal, B/L and container references, charge lines and any printed free-time or last-free-day dates as structured fields on the shipment record — so the deadline becomes a tracked date rather than a line buried in a PDF.

You can complete the browser form and download a generated PDF. Editable XLSX and DOCX starter files are also available for offline work.

The template form is designed to keep entries in the browser while you prepare the document. Review the finished file before sharing it with a carrier, customer, broker or authority.

No. This data sheet is not an official carrier notice. Arrival, charges and free time must be confirmed by the carrier, NVOCC, terminal or authorized destination agent.