A bulletin that only says “China–Vietnam: USD 500 per container” is not decision-grade information. Without a precise POL/POD, equipment type, port-to-port or door scope, included surcharges, validity and pricing trigger, readers cannot determine whether two rates are comparable. A professional route bulletin must answer three questions at the same time: which movement the rate covers, which cost components are included, and which conditions may change the price before booking. This article sets out the minimum data fields for lane-based ocean rate bulletins, the correct way to present schedules, transit time and free time, and the limits of a market bulletin compared with a formal quotation and booking confirmation.

QUICK FACTS

More than one number

Include lane, equipment, currency, rate, included/excluded scope and validity.

Lock the pricing trigger

State whether applicability follows booking date, PCD, tariffing date, loading date or sailing date.

Separate rate and schedule

A valid price does not mean space is available; ETD/ETA and transit must show source and timestamp.

Qualify free time

Identify DEM, DET or combined D&D, number of days, day type and start/end milestones.

A bulletin is not a quotation

Use it for market monitoring; transact only on an effective quotation, tariff and booking confirmation.

Illustration for Ocean Freight Route Bulletin: What Information Should It Include? — Illustration of the logistics topic, document or operation discussed in the article.

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

This framework applies to FCL ocean rate bulletins organised by trade lane or port pair for market monitoring, preliminary budgeting, RFQ preparation and trend comparison. It can be adapted to LCL, but W/M, minimum charges, CFS and consolidation scope must be treated separately.

The bulletin does not replace a binding quotation, service contract, spot offer, booking confirmation or carrier tariff. DG, OOG, reefer, SOC, heavy, high-value and restricted cargo may require separate approval, pricing or exclusions from FAK.

Control principle: a good bulletin must tell the reader whether the rates are truly comparable, not merely create a headline that the market moved up or down.

KEY TERMS

Term	Meaning	Role in the bulletin
Trade lane / Port pair	The commercial corridor or the loading–discharge port pair.	Defines the geographic scope of the rate.
POL / POD	Port of Loading / Port of Discharge.	Must be specific when the rate is port-specific.
FAK – Freight All Kinds	A general rate for eligible standard commodities, subject to exclusions.	The bulletin must state cargo and equipment eligibility.
Base Rate / Ocean Freight	The sea transport charge within the carrier-defined scope.	It does not automatically include bunker, PSS, THC or local charges.
VATOS	Valid At Time Of Shipment.	The amount may be confirmed or adjusted at the shipment trigger date.
Tariffing / Loading / Sailing Date	Different dates carriers may use to determine applicability.	A wrong trigger can place the shipment under another tariff.
Transit Time	Estimated duration for a defined routing.	Direct and transshipment options must be separated.
Free Time	The free DEM/DET or combined D&D period under stated conditions.	Milestones and calendar/working-day basis must be identified.
Subject to space/equipment	Rate availability depends on capacity and container supply.	A published rate is not a confirmed booking.

CORE LOGIC AND MANDATORY DATA FIELDS

An ocean rate bulletin is a timestamped market-data record. Each rate row needs a sufficiently precise identity key so that different lanes, equipment and commercial scopes are not mixed. The structure should cover route identity, price components, time conditions and operational data.

Data group	Minimum fields	Why required	Insufficient example
Bulletin identity	Update date, version, reporting period, source.	Shows when the data snapshot was taken.	No timestamp or recycled sheet.
Route	Origin, POL, destination, POD, inland point where relevant.	Locks the port pair and ramp/door scope.	Only “Asia–Europe”.
Routing	Direct/transshipment, hub, service name if available.	Affects transit, rollover and adders.	Direct and transshipment combined.
Equipment	20GP, 40GP, 40HC, reefer, special equipment.	Rates and availability differ by equipment.	Only “per container”.
Commodity	FAK/general cargo, exclusions, weight limits, DG/OOG note.	Prevents standard rates being used for special cargo.	No cargo eligibility.
Price	Currency, unit and base/all-in structure.	Makes the rate calculable and comparable.	No USD/TEU versus USD/container basis.
Scope	Included, excluded, origin and destination charges.	Avoids omissions and double counting.	“All-in” without a list.
Validity	Valid from/to and pricing trigger.	Determines whether the shipment falls in the tariff.	Only “August rate”.
Schedule	ETD/ETA, frequency, transit, cut-offs, lookup timestamp.	Supports actual planning.	Old schedule or no routing.
Free Time	DEM/DET/combined, days and conditions.	Measures post-arrival exposure.	“7 free days” with no definition.
Conditions	Space/equipment, payment and caveats.	States the bulletin’s limitations.	Presented as guaranteed booking.
RFQ path	Shipment data required for a formal quote.	Converts market data into a transaction.	No next confirmation step.

OCEAN RATE, SURCHARGES AND INCLUDED SCOPE

“Ocean Freight” and “All-in” are not fixed industry scopes. A FAK announcement may include selected bunker or PSS items while local, contingency and out-port charges remain separate. The bulletin must therefore itemise the layers.

Component	How to present it	Common basis	Key warning
Base Ocean Freight	Show separately or confirm inclusion in FAK/all-in.	USD per 20GP/40GP/40HC.	Do not compare with a surcharge-inclusive rate without normalising scope.
Bunker / Fuel	Identify MFR, GFS, BAF, SBF or carrier code.	Per TEU/container/shipment.	May be VATOS or periodically revised.
PSS / GRI / Restoration	State amount, period and trade.	Per container/TEU.	May not apply for the entire bulletin period.
Security / ECA / Carbon	State code, geography and inclusion status.	Per TEU/container.	Can vary by region or port.
Origin Local Charges	THC, seal, documentation, VGM and related services.	Per container/B/L/shipment.	Separate carrier charges from third-party costs.
Destination Local Charges	DTHC, D/O, documentation and handling.	Per container/B/L/shipment.	Not automatically part of port-to-port freight.
Inland / Out-port Adders	Pre-carriage, on-carriage, feeder or zone adders.	Per container, km, zone or leg.	Base-port rates are not door/ramp rates.
Contingency Charges	War risk, emergency, congestion, canal or rerouting.	Per TEU/container/shipment.	May arise after the bulletin snapshot.
Tax / Exchange Rate	Show VAT/tax and rate of exchange where relevant.	Local legal and invoice basis.	Local-currency invoices may differ from a USD bulletin.

Do not treat “All-in” as a final conclusion: include explicit “Included”, “Excluded” and “Subject to local/contingency charges” fields.

RATE VALIDITY AND APPLICABILITY TRIGGERS

The publication date is not necessarily the pricing date. Carriers may use price calculation date, tariffing date, loading date, sailing date or another trigger. Two bulletins that both say “valid from 1 August” may still apply differently.

Date field	Operational meaning	Recommended wording	Risk if omitted
Publication/Update Date	When the notice or bulletin was issued.	Updated at…; source published on…	Using a superseded notice.
Valid From / Valid To	Commercial validity window.	From…to…/until further notice.	Unknown expiry.
Price Calculation Date	System date used by certain carrier products.	Applicable by PCD…	Early booking but a later PCD.
Tariffing Date	Date the shipment is assigned to a tariff.	Applicable to sailings/tariffing from…	Confused with booking date.
Loading Date	Cargo-loading trigger used in a notice.	Applicable by loading date…	Rollover moves cargo into a new tariff.
Sailing Date	Departure trigger for the price period.	Applicable to sailings commencing…	ETD moves outside validity.
Booking Date	Booking creation/confirmation trigger where specified.	Applicable to bookings confirmed from…	Quote retained but booking confirmed after expiry.
Until Further Notice	No fixed end date has been published.	Valid until replaced by a new notice.	It is not a long-term price guarantee.

SCHEDULE, TRANSIT TIME, CUT-OFFS AND FREE TIME

Schedules change faster than rate sheets. State the lookup timestamp and avoid presenting ETD/ETA as a guarantee. Separate direct and transshipment routings.

Field	Recommended presentation	Verification source	Limitation
Service / Routing	Service name, direct/transshipment and hub.	Carrier schedule portal.	Rotation and blank sailings may change.
ETD / ETA	Estimated dates and voyage where available.	Vessel/port schedule.	Estimated, not guaranteed.
Frequency	Weekly, bi-weekly or actual pattern.	Service flyer/schedule.	Nominal frequency does not guarantee space.
Transit Time	Days with defined start and end points.	Routing finder/service schedule.	Does not automatically include customs or delivery.
CY Cut-off	Terminal gate-in deadline.	Booking/cut-off notice.	Vessel- and terminal-specific.
SI / VGM Cut-off	Documentation and VGM deadlines.	Booking confirmation/local notice.	Late submission may cause rollover or fees.
Free Time	DEM, DET or combined; days and day basis.	Tariff or booking-specific tool.	Contract, port and equipment dependent.
Space / Equipment Status	Open/tight/waitlist or confirmation required.	Carrier/forwarder booking desk.	A time-sensitive snapshot only.

Presentation rule: rate validity, schedule validity and booking availability are three separate data points.

DOCUMENTS AND DATA TO VERIFY

Data/document	Issuer	Use	Fields to match
Carrier price notice/tariff	Carrier.	Verify rate, surcharge and effective date.	Origin, destination, equipment, currency, charge basis, trigger.
Formal quotation	Carrier/NVOCC/forwarder.	Budget and booking decision.	Quote ID, validity, included/excluded, payment.
Schedule/routing result	Carrier portal.	ETD/ETA/transit planning.	POL/POD, service, routing, lookup date.
Local charge tariff	Carrier/local office/terminal.	Origin and destination cost layers.	Import/export, equipment, currency, effective date.
D&D/Free Time tariff	Carrier or booking-specific calculator.	DEM/DET exposure.	Separate/combined, day type and milestones.
Packing List/cargo profile	Shipper/importer.	Equipment and cargo eligibility.	Weight, CBM, DG/OOG/reefer, VGM estimate.
Contract/Incoterms	Buyer and seller.	Cost responsibility.	Rule, named place/port, inland and insurance scope.
Booking confirmation	Carrier/forwarder.	Lock sailing and cut-offs.	Vessel/voyage, ETD, equipment, deadlines, remarks.
Bulletin change log	Bulletin publisher.	Track revisions and trends.	Old/new rate, source, date and superseded version.

WORKFLOW FOR A LANE-BASED RATE BULLETIN

Step	Action	Output	Control
1. Define the port pair	Lock origin/POL and destination/POD plus port/ramp/door scope.	Unique lane code.	Do not merge base and out-ports.
2. Define equipment and cargo	Separate equipment and FAK/exclusions.	Eligible rate row.	Check weight and special-cargo conditions.
3. Collect the rate	Use an effective tariff, quote or announcement.	Base rate and charge basis.	Record source, timestamp and currency.
4. Itemise scope	Split included, excluded, local and contingency items.	Comparable cost scope.	No unqualified all-in label.
5. Lock validity	Record from/to and pricing trigger.	Clear applicability.	Check for later revisions.
6. Retrieve schedule	Add service, routing, ETD/ETA, transit and frequency.	Operational layer.	Timestamp; do not present as guarantee.
7. Add cut-offs/free time	Use booking/local tariff or mark “to be confirmed”.	Delay and D&D risk.	Never invent days.
8. Compare prior period	Normalise port pair, equipment and scope.	Defensible trend.	Do not compare different commercial conditions.
9. Publish and version	Add version, reviewer and source links.	Audit trail.	State which version is superseded.
10. Move to RFQ	Collect shipment details for a formal quote.	Quotation/booking request.	Bulletin is not final price confirmation.

COMMON RISKS AND ERRORS

Error	Cause	Impact	Control
Country-level route only	POL/POD not locked.	Wrong port and feeder scope.	Use exact port pair/ramp/door.
40GP and 40HC combined	Assumed equal pricing.	Wrong rate or availability.	Separate equipment lines.
Unqualified all-in	Commercial shorthand copied.	Missing or double-counted charges.	Included/excluded columns.
No pricing trigger	Only validity dates shown.	Wrong tariff after rollover or PCD shift.	Separate trigger field.
Different routings compared	Direct and transshipment mixed.	Transit and risk ignored.	Separate service/routing.
Schedule without timestamp	Old schedule reused.	Incorrect planning.	Record lookup time.
Free time shown only as days	DEM/DET scope unclear.	Wrong D&D estimate.	State type, milestones and day basis.
One spot quote treated as a trend	Non-representative source.	Unsupported market conclusion.	Label source type and representativeness.
No commodity exclusions	FAK applied to special cargo.	Repricing or booking rejection.	State eligibility and exclusions.
No version control	Bulletin overwritten.	Decision source cannot be audited.	Version and change log.
Bulletin treated as a commitment	No formal quote or booking.	Price, space or equipment not secured.	Require formal quotation confirmation.

OFFICIAL REFERENCE SOURCES

Source	Organisation	What it shows	Use
Ocean Tariff	Hapag-Lloyd	Ocean rates, surcharges and rules/conditions.	Read rate and tariff rule together.
Trade Surcharges	Hapag-Lloyd	Trade-related surcharges and separately displayed THC/security items.	Itemise codes and scope.
Surcharge Revision Notice	Maersk	Origin, destination, effective date, equipment, rate and charge condition.	Model notice fields.
FAK Price Announcement	MSC	Base-port FAK, included items, subject-to items and out-port adders.	Shows FAK is not every cost.
Tariff and Surcharge Updates	CMA CGM	FAK periods and route-specific updates.	Check validity and revisions.
Vessel Schedule	Hapag-Lloyd	Routes, direct options, dates and cut-off data.	Separate schedule from price.
Routing Finder	CMA CGM	Routes, equipment parameters and schedule data.	Verify routing at the lookup time.
Search a Schedule	MSC	POL/POD, dates, voyage, estimated transit and routing type.	Official schedule source.
Schedules	Maersk	Vessel schedules and port calls.	Verify ETD/ETA.

Sources reviewed on 17 July 2026. Rates, surcharges, schedules, free time and local charges may change; verify the shipment-specific quotation and official source before transacting.

FAQ

Should the bulletin identify the carrier?

Yes, or at least identify the source type. If multiple carriers are aggregated, explain the method and preserve carrier-specific conditions.

Should it publish one “lowest rate” for the lane?

Only after normalising POL/POD, equipment, commodity, validity and scope. Otherwise the lowest number may not be bookable.

Is transit time door-to-door?

Not by default. Define the start and end points; port-to-port transit normally excludes customs clearance and inland delivery.

Should a weekly bulletin include free time?

Include it only when verified. If booking- or contract-specific, state “to be confirmed” and identify the source to check.

Can “until further notice” support a long-term budget?

Only as a snapshot. It means no fixed end date has been published, not that the carrier guarantees the rate long term.

Should local charges be in the same table?

They may be in a linked table, but the total commercial scope must be clear. Avoid a single all-in total where currency, tax or unit bases differ.

When should the bulletin be revised?

On rate/surcharge revisions, material routing or schedule changes, free-time changes, or when the stated reporting period expires.

APPLICATION NOTE: An ocean rate bulletin is a market-intelligence and pre-budget tool. Before issuing a purchase order, signing a contract or fixing a delivery plan, obtain an effective quotation and confirm cargo/equipment eligibility, booking, cut-offs, free time and VATOS/local/contingency charges for the actual shipment.

TGIMEX IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT

TGIMEX helps businesses turn the article into a shipment-ready checklist, covering input-data review, dossier preparation, milestone control, and coordination with the relevant parties.

Convert guidance into checks

Assign an owner and deadline to every operational control point.

Reconcile shipment data

Compare booking, transport, commercial, customs, and delivery evidence.

Manage operational risk

Record discrepancies, actions, and decision evidence to prevent recurrence.

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