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The vessel or booking changed - what happens in Dockflow?

Dockflow tracks the reference you gave it. What happens when a carrier changes the plan depends on whether the reference still describes the journey.

The carrier moved the cargo to a different vessel​

If the booking or B/L stays the same and only the vessel changes, nothing is required from you. The carrier publishes the new vessel against the same reference and Dockflow picks it up on its next refresh.

Dockflow polls at intervals rather than continuously, so a short delay before the new vessel appears is normal. If the carrier's own page shows the new vessel and Dockflow still shows the old one several days later, that is worth reporting with the reference.

The carrier issued a new booking number​

This is the case that needs you, and it is the one most often mistaken for a bug.

When a container is rolled onto a different sailing under a new booking, the old reference still describes the old journey. Dockflow keeps tracking it, correctly, and the shipment sits on a vessel that no longer carries your cargo.

What to do: add the new booking or B/L to the tradeflow and remove the old one. Once the superseded reference is gone, Dockflow retrieves tracking against the remaining one. This is the same mechanism described in unexpected or missing containers on a B/L - two references on one tradeflow pull in two journeys.

Leaving both on

If both the old and the new reference stay on the tradeflow, you get the containers, vessel and dates of both journeys mixed together. That usually shows up as a destination or vessel that belongs to a file you are not looking at.

Part of the booking went, part did not​

Where a carrier splits a booking - some containers sail, the rest roll - the containers that moved usually get a new booking number and the original keeps the rest.

Treat it as two shipments. Put the new reference on the containers that moved, and leave the original reference on those that did not. Tracking one tradeflow against two live bookings will not give you a coherent plan for either.

No vessel and no ETA at all​

Different problem, and usually not a change at all. A carrier can confirm the deep-sea leg and not yet publish the onward feeder leg, so there is no vessel to show for it. See no tracking data.

The same vessel shows two different ETAs​

Also expected. With per-tradeflow tracking you see exactly what the sources on your booking reported, so two shipments on one vessel can legitimately carry different ETAs for the same port call. Per-vessel tracking pools them into one consensus time instead. Which you get is an account setting - see vessel schedule intelligence.

The vessel does not exist in Dockflow​

Ask support to add it, with the vessel name and its IMO number. See supported carriers.

Need help?​

Send the tradeflow reference, the old and new booking numbers, and the vessel you expect. That is enough to sort it in one reply.

  • Email support - [email protected]
  • In-app chat - click the chat icon in the bottom right

Last updated: August 17, 2026