With Cargo Controller, you can import your cargo into Dutch ports more quickly, easily and transparently. You can quickly find your cargo, track it and directly perform actions towards customs and terminals. This gives you full control over your cargo and enables you to optimise cooperation with verified partners in your logistics chain.
Thanks to the cargo overview, you can always see the current status of your cargo; when your vessel arrived, when it was unloaded, whether an inspection is scheduled and whether an import document is known. For safe handling of your cargo, you can nominate and/or authorise the next party in your logistics chain with Cargo Controller. Depending on your role and nomination in the process, you may or may not be able to see which goods have been shipped. The timeline provides insight into the logistics process and all the parties involved in your cargo.
With Cargo Controller, we provide transparency regarding the data of your cargo. At the same time, certain information is only accessible to parties who are actually allowed to see this information – as a result of nomination and authorisation. You designate which partners are permitted to handle your cargo in Cargo Controller. The service is part of the Portbase Secure Chain, an updated process for sharing data with each other safely and securely in Dutch ports. You can find more information about the Portbase Secure Chain here.
Cargo Controller is used by forwarders and shippers.
For container, trailer and bulk cargo.
The Cargo Controller service operates via web and API.
1. How do I manage my B/Ls?
Within Cargo Controller, your organisation can be linked to a B/L and the information that becomes available in multiple ways. In this knowledge article, we explain how you can unlock this data and what possibilities we offer in this.
Option 1: Add a B/L yourself
Each user can enter a B/L number via the web screen (or via Cargo Controller API) in combination with at least 1 container number. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information submitted by the carrier or cargo broker on the import manifest. If this is known, we immediately show all information (and all containers) that Portbase has available at that moment, an "Extended B/L".
B/Ls that you as a user have added yourself are immediately marked as 'Favorite', recognizable by the yellow star in front of the B/L number. B/Ls that your colleagues have added can also be activated as favorites by clicking on the star.
Option 2: Assigned to a B/L
A carrier, a freight broker or a principal can grant a commercial exemption (via Secure Chain) to your organization without your organization tracking the container on the corresponding B/L within Cargo Controller. Based on this data, Portbase retrieves information that is available within the Secure Chain, a "Basic B/L".
As explained in our Quick Start Guide, there are filter options available, but also 'Quick Views'. These quick views quickly differentiate in the main screen, such as the quick view "My Cargo" which immediately selects all B/Ls that you have registered as favorites.
In addition, you can add a label for each B/L, a reference that makes it unique for your organization. This also allows for additional distinction in B/Ls and you can also apply a filter to the set labels. Click on the Label icon of the B/L and add unique or recurring labels, these are then saved and with the filter 'Labels' you can filter on these values.
As previously stated, the way your organization is linked to a B/L determines how much information you can see from a B/L. With a Basic B/L, you only see the bare essential information you need for the Secure Chain, this B/L is not attributed to your organization as a paid transaction.
Do you need this information? Then every user can easily retrieve it by clicking the 'Get Access' button. Portbase will then register a paid transaction and immediately provide all available B/L information as you are used to. The B/L that you manually upgrade will be marked as a favorite immediately.
Portbase makes this distinction to avoid unexpected costs because your organization had not actively tracked this B/L.
There may be exceptions to the goods description, which means you may or may not be able to view this data.
Option 1:
If your organisation is the first tracker of a B/L, your organisation will be granted the right to view (and manage) the goods information. You can grant requests to view goods description by clicking the "Release goods description" button under B/L details in the Cargo section.
Option 2:
If your organisation is the second tracker of a B/L, your organisation will not see any goods information. The party that blocks this right is stated in the place where the goods description is normally visible.
Option 3:
If your organisation is part of the Chain of Trust, your organisation will be able to see all goods information, regardless of when you are linked in the chain. But in that case you do need to track the Extended B/L.
With this article you are now fully informed about the different ways of tracking B/Ls and how to filter them. In our other knowledge articles we will go deeper into the import status of your cargo and which data sources are available for this.
The above can also be controlled via our Cargo Controller API, which allows you to fully integrate with your own internal systems. Read more about this here.
If your organization is not ready for our Cargo Controller API integration, we also have an interim solution with an Excel upload function. Read more about that here.
3. I don’t see any terminal data in my B/Ls, how is that possible?
Additional data sources are available within Cargo Controller that are made available by third parties. So-called add-ons make data available within Cargo Controller under their own conditions. You will mainly find providers of these add-ons in the Portbase Marketplace.
Basics: Carrier data
Based on the import manifest, Cargo Controller shows the most current information that the carrier (shipping agent) makes available based on its ship visit to the Dutch port(s). The reliability and accuracy is at most 4 days before the planned ETA. To improve the basics, the terminal data is considerably more reliable, sometimes up to 14 days before the planned ETA. Cargo Controller provides the carrier data by default, unless other sources are available and your organization meets the conditions. You can read more about these conditions at the bottom of this page.
Am I looking at terminal data or carrier data?
The status screen of Cargo Controller clearly indicates whether the data was supplied by the carrier or by the terminal. The example below shows data from the carrier:
The conditions under which you see data may differ per terminal. Below is an example of the APM Terminals that makes its terminal data available free of charge to all Cargo Controller users:
The conditions that a terminal sets can also result in your organization not seeing any data until these conditions are met. See below an example of an organization that did not have a ECT MyTerminal Free account and therefore did not receive a release confirmation in Cargo Controller:
Terminal dates subject to conditions
Each data owner determines its own conditions for the availability of this data. For example, APM Terminals offers its terminal data free of charge, without any conditions having to be met.
ECT MyTerminal states that every organization must have at least a MyTerminal Free account before the unloading confirmation of the container (ATA Container) becomes visible within Cargo Controller. Additional data that ECT MyTerminal offers (MyTerminal Premium Plus) is also available within Cargo Controller. Read here how your organization can request this from ECT MyTerminal and the options available.
* ECT MyTerminal account applies, some elements depend on the type of subscription.
** ECT and APM Terminals reserve the right to make changes to their terms and conditions.
Those involved will be informed in a timely manner of any changes to the conditions.
Terminal data via API
If your organization meets the conditions, this data is also directly available in our API. This way you can use Cargo Controller API as a single source instead of setting up separate connections. For more information, see our API specifications on our Developer Portal.
2. How do I track the status of my cargo?
After adding your cargo you will discover the power of Cargo Controller, you are now able to monitor all your cargo based on 3 main indicators. These 3 main indicators represent the 3 phases of the import process that your cargo goes through before you can have it picked up at the terminal. These 3 main indicators are also called 'gates' and our status messages 'milestones'. In this article we explain the statuses, but also how you can apply them to simplify your daily work by working based on exceptions (management by exceptions).
Import phases
Each indicator monitors the status of the import phase your container is currently in. This way, either the general status or the most critical status is shown. An indicator contains a group of specific indicators for that phase:
* This indicator is only available within the Secure Chain. More information about this can be found in our Quick Start Guide, Factsheet or introduction film.
** This indicator is only available if the terminal makes this data available. Would you like to know more about terminal data within Cargo Controller? Then read more here first.
Legend of the status indicator
As you can see, the 3 indicators are based on 10 individual indicators. You can view this if you press the i icon and open the details screen:
Colors and icons
The main indicator will provide you with the overall status of the phase, or the most urgent one within that phase. Their color and icon will read as the following:
In de onderstaande stappen gaan we in op hoe je deze statussen kan monitoren via filters e/o e-mailnotificaties aan de hand van een aantal voorbeelden.
Monitoring statuses
In our Quick Start Guide we have already mentioned the filter options within Cargo Controller, in this part we explain a number of them to use to filter out important status updates. This in combination with a number of our supporting email notifications.
Filter 1: Import manifest
Check 'Data not available', all B/Ls that are not known are now shown in the overview. Without a manifest, Cargo Controller cannot share any other status with you. The shipping company is responsible for submitting the import manifest. They must confirm this to the Harbor Master 4 days before ETA.
Tip 1: Always check first that there is no typo in the registered B/L number, that is our number 1 cause for questions in this situation.
Tip 2: Sometimes a B/L may have been wrongly registered on the manifest and subsequently deleted. An email notification is also available for this situation (B/L removed).
Filter 2: Discharge
Check 'Not Discharged' and containers have not yet been confirmed by the terminal. This can arise from various situations, such as a communication disruption between the terminal and Portbase, a cut-and-run situation by the shipping company or your organization at this terminal is not allowed to view this data (see Terminal data).
Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail when the ship has departed, but the discharge confirmation has not yet been received.
Filter 3: Inspection status
Check 'Notified', all containers that Customs has selected for inspection, 'have fallen red', are now shown on the screen.
Or: Check 'Released' to select all containers that were inspected and have now been released by Customs.
Tip: There are e-mail notifications available that send an email when the container has been notified and subsequently released.
Filter 4: Import document
Check 'Unknown', all containers for which no import document (MID) has yet been submitted to the terminal are now shown on the screen.
Tip: An e-mail notification is available that sends an e-mail if no MID has been submitted 6 hours after unloading the container.
Filter 5: Inland operator
Check 'Not nominated', all containers for which no carrier has yet been nominated (Secure Chain action) are now shown on the screen.
You can now track the status of your cargo
Based on this article, you can now easily navigate through the statuses of the cargo and you are in control of the current status. The next steps if a status deviates differ per situation. Read more here how you can set up email notifications.
4. How do I start the Secure Chain?
The Secure Chain can start in 2 different ways within the logistics process (and therefore also in Cargo Controller):
Option 1: The carrier sends the commercial release directly to my organisation
In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the carriers that they will activate your organisation for the Secure Chain. With that message, they will also send a customer reference number, that number must be registered in Cargo Controller. Read this knowledge article for what you need to do.
Option 2: A client sends the commercial release to my organization
In that case, you will automatically receive a message from the client that his carrier will activate his organisation for the Secure Chain. Your client will ask you to prepare yourself for the first releases that will be passed on to you without a PIN code. You can read more in this article on how to receive and process a commercial release.
Did you miss an option? Discuss this with your client and/or shipping company. Ultimately, all containers imported via Rotterdam will be handled via the Secure Chain.
Before you continue: Inform your supply chain partners about the change you are going to make with each other.
You need to be a main user or a user manager of your IAM organisation to access these functionalities. Log in to the service Cargo Controller and go to User Menu. Select ' Manage data authorisations'
The screen will open with the tab ' Commercial releases'. Select the carrier, enter the customer reference and click Save.
You will now see the submitted customer reference listed by carriers company name's. The carrier will immediately receive a notification and will review your verification request.
Verification status
As long as your customer code is in the status of 'Pending' or 'Rejected' you cannot start the Secure Chain.
Pending
The carrier has not yet completed your verification, please contact the carrier.
Rejected
Your entered customer code has not been accepted by the carrier. If a customer reference is rejected, an explanation will be provided. If you have any questions about this rejection, we advise you to contact the carrier.
Manage customer references
If you did not enter the customer reference correctly, you can easily delete it. To do so, click the Delete-button in the same screen where you entered the customer reference for verification. You can have several contracts and thus several customer references per carrier, which you can register individually.
Start Portbase Secure Chain
In consultation with the carrier, you then decide from which date, or for which B/Ls, commercial releases will be issued in Cargo Controller via the PCS. Portbase has no part in this process, this is purely between your organisation and the carrier(s). Your customer reference must have the status 'Accepted' before the Secure Chain can start.
After reading this article, the foundation is laid to receive and process a commercial release. Read our other articles to see how the process continues.
5. How do I receive a commercial release?
In this knowledge article we explain how you can receive a commercial release within the Secure Chain, how to recognize this and how to inform yourself. There are 2 ways in which your organization is linked to the Secure Chain (and thus the commercial release).
In order to understand this article properly, we expect you to be familiar with the Secure Chain via this Quick Start Guide and this article. And that you are already familiar with the basic functionalities of CC via the Quick Start Guide and/or this series of articles.
Option 1: You are the 'Release-to party' for this chain and receive the commercial release directly from the shipping company. The Secure Chain cannot start until your organization has been verified by the shipping company. This process is explained in this knowledge article.
Option 2: You have been designated as a 'Cargo Director' for this chain and receive the commercial release from the 'Release-to party' or from another 'Cargo Director'.
Receiving releases
You will receive a commercial release per container. You can recognize this by a container because it shows its status within the Secure Chain in the main screen.
Container without commercial release:
Container with commercial release:
Secure Chain pop-up
Click on the icon and you will see from whom, and when, you have received the commercial release. In the following knowledge article we will explain how to process this.
E-mail notifications
There are a number of email notifications available within Cargo Controller that can warn you if you are not logged in and a commercial release has become available for your organization within the Secure Chain. Read here how to set this up.
6b. How can I pass on the commercial release to (regular) partners?
In this knowledge article we explain how you can submit a commercial release via various bulk actions for repetitive actions. Like registering (regular, occuring) partners, per B/L, in bulk via Excel uploads or Cargo Controller API. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.
Passing on releases
Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage. We have elaborated on the standard action per container in this article.
Processing releases in bulk
The above are simple actions if you have a limited volume of commercial releases to process. Within the Cargo Controller service there are several options to perform this in bulk, manually, semi-automatically or fully automated.
Registering Trusted Cargo Directors
This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.
Tip: Use this option for a limited number of organizations as this can cause confusion if too many organizations can claim these automatic rights. If multiple automatically authorized parties track the same B/L this becomes an undesirable situation, which can be poorly monitored by you. We advise to use this option very limited and to actively manage it. You can delete parties using the 'Delete' button.
Registering Trusted Inland Operators
This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.
Follow the steps above, but in step 2 go to the tab 'Trusted Inland Operators'. At the moment that NO Inland Operators are registered here, every employee of your organization can search for and use a Inland Operator themselves. From the moment that 1 Inland Operators is registered here, all employees of your organization will only be able to choose this Operator. You can register as many Inland Operators as you like.
6a. How do I pass on the commercial release per container?
In this knowledge article, we explain how to pass on a commercial release in a simple manner. We explain the bulk processing of this action further here. You can only apply this article if you have received a commercial release.
Passing on releases
Passing on an releases differs for the role of the chain party that you are going to manage.
Option 1: Are you passing on the release to your inland operator? Then you nominate the inland operator.
Option 2: Are you passing on the exemption to another forwarder? Then you appoint this party as the next Cargo Director. In some cases, this concerns a 'Tranfser' of cargo upon arrival at the terminal.
Nominate Inland Operator
Assign Cargo Director
You have are now able to nominate and assign other parties within the Secure Chain.
Can I limit the list of Inland Operators to my regular carriers?
Yes, you can register a fixed list of carriers within Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager. This can only be set by a main and/or user administrator and has operational consequences for your users.
You cannot automatically nominate inland operators, as this would impact the operational process to much when a scenario occurs that a different inland operators needs to be
Register trusted parties
You can add your logistics partner(s) to your organization as 'Trusted Inland Operators'.
Activation: From the moment you register 1 inland operator here, the option to nominate another inland operator is excluded. This list of inland operators must immediately be made as complete as possible. Deviations can then only be updated by main and/or user administrators.
You still have to nominate these parties per container.
Control Cargo Controller via Excel uploads and downloads
Yes that is possible. It is largely the same as tracking new B/Ls via an Excel upload, but you will have to provide more information.
Tracking multiple B/Ls in one go
We also call this a batch upload.
You can enter a maximum of 500 B/Ls in one go with an Excel file.
You have now controlled the Secure Chain in bulk.
After you receive updates on these dates, you can also download a selection and import it into your own systems. Read more about that here.
What email notifications are available in Cargo Controller?
Within Cargo Controller you can set up multiple email notifications for yourself. In this knowledge article we explain how you can best apply these.
Change email address
You can change the email address via the 'Adjust' button. For example, you can enter the email address of a department or shared email box. This setting is registered on your account, if you ever stop using the Cargo Controlle service, this setting will also stop.
Frequency
You will only receive an email notification once per event and you will receive a message for all B/Ls that are visible in your overview.
Hopefully you experience our email notifications as an alert so that you do not have to be logged in to our service all the time and only when it is necessary.
7. How can I withdraw the commercial release?
Within the Secure Chain, a client can always withdraw the release and pass it on to another party. It is also possible that the shipping company withdraws the entire release. In this knowledge article, we will delve into the withdrawal of the Secure Chain.
Please note! A revoked release means that all parties behind it have become redundant for the Secure Chain. The data they had access to disappears, but was visible in the period that they were part of the Secure Chain. If you revoke the release, you are solely responsible for the further processing of this release.
Intrekken van gehele vrijstelling
It is possible that a shipping company has registered the B/L incorrectly or has withdrawn the release for other reasons. The Secure Chain has become redundant. The shipping company will contact you and provide you with a new release.
Withdrawal of Inland Operator
You want to change Inland Operator in this one and you are the Cargo Director who submitted it. You need to withdraw the nomination.
Withdrawal of Cargo Director
You want to change in this of Forwarder and you have passed this release to that party. You must then appoint another Cargo Director or nominate a Inland Operator yourself.
New user? This lifebuoy is for you!
Cargo Controller has a lifeline for new users. From a central checklist, new users can quickly become familiar with our service and the functionalities available via various tours.
The checklist becomes active immediately upon logging in for the first time. You can decide to skip this, or take one of the several tours and activate the checklist again at a later time of your choosing. At the moment the tours are only available in English.
These tours go through the basic steps of how to get started with Cargo Controller. After you have completed a tour, we also keep track of it and it is no longer actively offered. This way of providing in-service support is continuously updated based on Customer Service questions that users ask.
Going through a tour again?
We hope that you, as a new user, will quickly get to know the basic functionalities of Cargo Controller.
Can I download B/L data to process into my own systems?
Yes. In Cargo Controller you can very easily download an overview of all B/Ls that you currently have visible in your overview screen. This depends on the filters you have active.
Download selection
Based on your filters, you can choose to download all B/Ls or a number of specific B/Ls. Click on the 'checkbox' at the top of the overview screen to select all B/Ls for download at once.
Or select the desired B/Ls at B/L level by selecting the 'checkbox' per B/L.
Download
After you have selected at least 1 B/L, additional action buttons will become visible at the top of the overview screen. In the example below, all visible B/Ls are selected. You will see the 'Download' button almost on the left.
You will receive confirmation via a pop-up message of how many B/Ls have been selected for the download and you can confirm the download. A CSV file will then follow with the requested data.
How can I activate Secure Chain within Cargo Controller?
If you are already using Cargo Controller, you can have the following activated by your organization's main administrator. For Cargo Controller API users, the steps below are also necessary to complete before you can use our extensive API functions.
Master administrators have access to the PCS-menu option 'Organization management':
In this menu, the main user can issue rights to users by means of User groups. Go to the User Groups tab.
We have added a User Group 'Cargo Controller (Director)' for all existing Cargo Controller users. Click on this title and you can then add colleagues to this group. Click on 'Save' to apply the changes.
A colleague who is already logged in will then have to log out and log in before the extra functionalities are visible in his Cargo Controller environment.
Tip: In this way, we hope that you limit the management of these functionalities to the users who actually use them in their work.
How can I remove a incorrect B/L from my overview?
It sometimes happens that a B/L number changes after it has been split by the shipping company or that you have made a typing error. In both cases it is desirable to remove erroneous B/Ls in order to maintain an accurate overview.
You can select B/Ls via the checkbox for the B/L number and then click the 'Delete' button.
Another confirmation prompt will follow for you to confirm.
How can I set up e-mail notifications?
Read how to set up e-mail notifications in our instruction manual.
In case you have e-mail notifications configured in Cargo Information, please reconfigure the notifications in Cargo Controller.
The (old) notification settings in cargo information can then be deleted.
Which terminals’ status data can I track?
An overview of our affiliated terminals can be found here.
Which type of cargo can I track with Cargo Controller?
Cargo Controller is suitable for containers, trailers (accompanied/unaccompanied) and other equipments
Equipment type | Method of linking in the service Cargo Controller |
Containers | Container number + B/L number |
Trailers | Unaccompanied transport Trailer number + shipment number
For example, cargo via CLDN: Accompanied transport: For example, cargo via Stena Line: |
Other equipments | Equipment number as specified by the shipping company |
What are the technical requirements for using the Cargo Controller web screens?
Cargo Controller works with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. Proper functioning of Cargo Controller cannot be guaranteed when using other browsers, such as Internet Explorer.
Overview and differences Cargo Controller & Cargo Release Manager
Only together we can make the container release process and hence the logistics chain more secure. The ‘key’ in the form of a PIN code disappears. Each party in the chain authorises the next party in the logistics chain. Only those authorised parties can perform actions and access confidential data.
Choose service
Use the decision tree to determine which solution is best suited to your situation.
Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager
The services Cargo Controller and Cargo Release Manager are part of the Secure Chain, a new process to safely and securely share data with each other in the Dutch ports. You need either Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager to enter the Secure Chain and control your chain(s).
With Cargo Controller you get real-time Track & Trace information. You have full control and insight into the cargo, to ensure it is handled correctly and proactively.
With Cargo Release Manager you can view basic cargo information and can direct your chain partners.
The overview below shows the differences between the two services:
* One-time connection fee per service, excl. VAT
**from 01/01/25, the fixed monthly fee is €76.88 and the cost per requested B/L is €0.42 for Cargo Controller.
Request the service
Will you take part in the Secure Chain and join Europe’s largest port community?
Click here to register and request the Portbase service(s) of your choice.
Support pages
Here you will find practical information on how to expand and use Cargo Controller.
Here you will find practical information on how to use Cargo Release Manager.
How do I know if the Discharge Terminal has changed?
In some situations, the discharge terminal can be changed. In the past you needed to monitor your tracked B/L's manually on these changes, there is now a e-mail notification in place to alert you immediately:
Set notification
You can set up email notifications for major status changes. This way you stay simple or informed if the status of your tracked load changes.
1. Open the user preferences (the round button with your initials at the top right of the main screen).
2. Choose 'Notification settings'
3. Via the slider you can switch one (or both) e-mail notification on or off. Email notifications are sent to the email address of your PCS account.
How do I know when a B/L has been removed?
In some situations, B/Ls are removed from a manifest. If your tracked B/L is deleted, all updates in Cargo Controller will be deleted, via API you will also see a 'Deleted' status update. To be sure of the status of your B/L, you can activate an e-mail notification so that you will immediately receive an e-mail if your B/L has been deleted. In this e-mail you can see which actions can be taken.
Set notification
You can set up email notifications for major status changes. This way you stay simple or informed if the status of your tracked load changes.
1. Open the user preferences (the round button with your initials at the top right of the main screen).
2. Choose 'Notification settings'
3. Via the slider you can switch an e-mail notification on or off. Email notifications are sent to the email address of your PCS account.
B/L available again
If your deleted B/L becomes available again on another manifest, we will automatically link it again for you. However, if an MID or Domproc was submitted on this B/L, it will have to be re-entered manually.
Was there already a domproc notification on this B/L?
If a B/L is removed from a manifest, the domproc notification is automatically removed by Customs. You will receive a default error code 6236_2738. If the B/L becomes available again, you must submit a domestic process report yourself.
Was a document pre-notified at the terminal on this B/L?
Check whether the documents for the correct terminal have been pre-notified. Has the unloading terminal been changed? Then make sure that you pre-register the documents for the correct terminal.
Is a system link available?
Cargo Controller is also available as an API for a direct connection to your in-house system. If you use the system connection, you will always have access to the web screens.
Tracking B/L's
If you connect a B/L via the system connection, it will automatically be visible in the web screens. This also works the other way around; if you connect a B/L in the web screens, you will also receive the updates via the API in your in-house system.
Data with logistical impact
Apart from a few one-off settings, you will no longer need the Cargo Controller web screens on a daily basis. We do recommend implementing all functionalities, the events that are sent via our API and the logistical impact that certain values can have. We have already made all of this visual in the Cargo Controller web screens, all of which logistical processes and statuses will have to be implemented.
Interface Specialists
After requesting the service Cargo Controller API, you will be put in touch with our Interface Specialists. They will provide the API keys and coordinate the webhook registration with your organisation or software supplier.
Webhook(s)
Cargo Controller pushes its updates to a Webhook URL that your organisation has registered by the Interface Specialists. Additional connection costs are involved for multiple webhooks, ask about the possibilities when requesting this service.
Test environment
Our test environment is available during implementation.
Secure Chain
You can also control all functionalities for the Secure Chain via the Cargo Controller API.
Interested?
If you want to use the API, please contact our sales department. They will help you connect to our system link. For all specifications and use cases of the Cargo Controller API, please visit our developer portal.