Cargo Controller


Take control of your cargo

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.

Cargo Controller and the Portbase Secure Chain

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.

Who is it for?

Cargo Controller is used by forwarders and shippers.

Which types of cargo is it for?

For container, trailer and bulk cargo.

How can I use Cargo Controller?

The Cargo Controller service operates via web and API.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cargo information

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".

Monitor your own work with ease

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.

       

Basic and Extended B/L's

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.

Goods description

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.

How do I manage my B/Ls?

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.

Cargo Controller API

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.

Excel up- and download

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

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:

  • Arrival Transport Equipment
    • Vessel Arrival status
    • Import manifest known
    • Discharge at terminal **
    • Vessel departure status
  • Release Transport Equipment
    • Customs Inspection status
    • Commercial Release status *
    • Import Declaration status
  • Pickup Transport Equipment
    • Inland Nomination status *
    • Pre-Notifcation status *
    • Gate out status */**

* 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:

  • : Status confirmed, all indicators are green.
  • : At least one indicator is yellow, your attention may be needed.
  • : At least one indicator is red, attention is needed.
  • : Status pending, not all indicators are green, none are yellow or red. No attention needed.
  • : Status (yet) unknown. There is no update available, a possible update is expected lika the ETA. Waiting for update.

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.

Was this post helpful?

Portbase Secure Chain

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.

Registering a customer reference number

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.

This is how you start the Secure Chain

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

Processing the commercial release

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.

  1. Nominate via multi select
    Select a whole B/L by checking the checkbox for the B/L number. You can do this directly with multiple B/Ls.
  2. Nominate via multi select and filters
    The fastest way is to use the Quickview 'My Cargo' in combination with the filter 'Inland Operator' on the value 'Not nominated'. You can use additional filters to determine a range. Then check whether all B/Ls that you see in the overview screen are correct and click the checkbox next to the search field. This will select all containers that have not yet been nominated and that fall within your criteria in one go. Then click on 'Nominate Inland Operator' at the top of the screen. Go through the step-by-step plan and you will work on this action in bulk.
  3. Trusted Cargo Director
    Register your regular forwarder as a chain partner, we call this a 'trusted cargo director'. If the chain partner tracks the same B/L before you receive the commercial release, your partner will immediately be given the role of Cargo Director and can nominate his Inland Operator. Read further on in the article how you can set this up and apply it.
  4. Excel up- and download
    Within Cargo Controller it is possible to download all data that you see in the overview screen. In addition, there is also an option to upload up to 500 lines of data. In addition to tracking B/Ls in bulk in this way, you can also nominate and assign in bulk. Read here how you can apply this.
  5. Cargo Controller API
    Upon receipt of the commercial release, another party can be appointed as Cargo Director or a carrier can be nominated. Read all about it on our Developer portal of Cargo Controller API. Especially read the 'use cases Secure Chain'.

Registering Trusted Cargo Directors

This can only be set by Power Users and User Administrators.

  1. Log in to Cargo Controller, go to user menu > Manage data authorisations.
  2. Go to the tab 'Trusted Cargo Directors' and here you can register your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties. They will not receive confirmation of this registration.It only works for the B/Ls that you both track in advance and after which your organization receives the release.

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.

Was this post helpful?

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

  1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
  2. Click on Nominate Inland Operator. A new screen will open.
  3. Enter the organization name of your inland operator and it will be displayed in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique EAN number of your inland operator as additional recognition. This list shows all carriers registered with PCS, you can reduce this list by activating 'Trusted Inland Operators', this function concerns a so-called 'white list' that limits the choice options to that list. Read more about this later in this article.
  4. Click on 'Nominate Inland Operator'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

Assign Cargo Director

  1. Click on the Secure Chain status of your container. You will then see your role and your rights, based on that Cargo Controller shows you which actions you are allowed to do.
  2. Click on 'Assign someone else as director'. A new screen will open.
  3. Type in the organization name of the forwarder and it will be shown in alphabetical order. If the name appears in multiple versions, you can use the location and/or the unique CoC number of the forwarder as additional recognition.
  4. Click on 'Assign'. In the screen overview the status of the Secure Chain is now updated and shows a green color.

You have are now able to nominate and assign other parties within the Secure Chain.

Was this post helpful?

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'.

  1. Log in Cargo Controller or Cargo Release Manager, go to user menu > Manage data access.
  2. You are in Commercial Release. Choose the 'Trusted Inland Operators' tab and here you can select your logistics partners. You can add multiple parties.

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

  1. Select ‘Add’.
  2. Click the ‘Upload file’ button at the bottom of the ‘Cargo’ section; this will take you to an Excel template.
  3. Complete the Excel template with the required data (B/L number, equipment number and optionally your own reference) and save the file.
  4. Click ‘Upload file’ and select the Excel file you just saved. Now select ‘Upload’.
  5. You will receive a confirmation of all the B/Ls successfully and not successfully added.
    • Successfully added B/Ls are automatically added to Cargo Controller.
    • B/Ls not successfully added do not meet the criteria. An explanation for the rejection will be displayed. You can now manually correct or delete the data.
      If you do so, select Save afterwards. The corrected B/L data will now be added to Cargo Controller.

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.

Was this post helpful?

Notifications

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.

  1. Open the user details via the round button with your initial, at the top right of the main screen.
  2. Choose ‘Notification settings’.
  3. The email notifications screen opens and at the top you see your email address that was used to create your PCS account. You can change this, read more about that later in this article.
  4. This screen briefly explains per email notification for which scenario or import phase these email notifications are useful to use. For the Secure Chain options, look at the section 'Cargo'.
  5. Via the slider you can switch an e-mail notification on or off.

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.

Was this post helpful?

Revoking a commercial release

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.

  1. Go to the container (or B/L) you want to withdraw the nomination for and click on the Secure Chain status icon.
  2. Click on the 'Change Inland Operator' option.
  3. You can then click on the 'Withdraw Inland Operator' button at the top right
    Or you can choose to directly select another Inland Operator and nominate them via the 'Nominate Inland Operator' button.
  4. The chain has now been broken and the nomination withdrawn. You might need to assign a Cargo Director or nominate an Inland Operator.

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.

  1. Go to the container (or B/L) from which you want to reclaim the Cargo Director role and click on the Secure Chain status icon.
  2. Click on the 'Reclaim cargo director rights ' option.
  3. You can then click on the 'reclaim rights' button at the top right
  4. The chain is broken and the rights are withdrawn again. You can now appoint another Cargo Director or nominate a Inland Operator yourself.

Was this post helpful?

General

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?

  1. Click on the question mark at the top right of the screen.
  2. Now choose 1 of the available tours available in Cargo Controller. Some tour are not available, depending on your user rights within the service.
  3. The tour starts immediately. Click along with the tour and go through all the functionalities.

We hope that you, as a new user, will quickly get to know the basic functionalities of Cargo Controller.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

Which terminals’ status data can I track?

An overview of our affiliated terminals can be found here.

Was this post helpful?

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:
Shipment number = CLVW031699KGRT214
Equipment number (trailer number) = HMB739

Accompanied transport:
Registration number of tractor unit + shipment number

For example, cargo via Stena Line:
Shipment number = STNL0012345678001
Equipment number (registration number of tractor unit):  AB1788

Other equipments Equipment number as specified by the shipping company

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

Differences Cargo Controller & Cargo Release Manager

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.

Was this post helpful?

Process progress

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.

Was this post helpful?

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.

Was this post helpful?

API Service

Is a system link available?