How to Check Last Free Day on Maersk: Portal & API Walkthrough

How to Check Last Free Day on Maersk

Knowing how to check last free day on Maersk is a core skill for any freight forwarder moving cargo on the world's largest ocean carrier. Maersk handles roughly 17% of global container volumes, which means a significant share of US import containers will arrive under a Maersk B/L — making their portal and API the ones your team will use most often.

Maersk exposes LFD data through two primary channels: the Maersk.com tracking portal for manual lookups, and their Track & Trace API for automated, programmatic access. Both surfaces show the same underlying data — the difference is whether your team pulls it manually each day or your system pulls it automatically every few hours.

For a broader understanding of why LFD matters and how it fits into the full demurrage framework, see our complete LFD tracking guide.

Maersk Portal Walkthrough: Step-by-Step

The following steps describe the exact UI flow on Maersk.com as of Q1 2026. Maersk periodically updates their portal design, but the navigation structure and data fields have been stable since their 2024 platform refresh.

Step 1: Navigate to Track & Trace

Open maersk.com/tracking in your browser. You'll land on a clean white page with a prominent search bar labeled "Track your shipment." Directly below the search bar are two tabs: Container and Bill of Lading / Booking. No login is required for basic tracking — Maersk made this page publicly accessible.

Step 2: Enter Your Container Number or B/L

Select the appropriate tab for your reference type. Maersk container numbers follow the ISO 6346 format: a 4-letter owner code followed by 7 digits (e.g., MAEU1234567 or MRKU8901234). MAEU is Maersk's primary prefix; MRKU belongs to Maersk's Safmarine fleet, which operates under the Maersk umbrella. Maersk B/L numbers follow the format MAEU + 9 digits (e.g., MAEU123456789) or a 6-character alphanumeric booking reference.

You can enter up to 10 container numbers simultaneously by clicking "Add more" beneath the input field. This is useful for checking an entire shipment when multiple containers travel under one B/L. Enter your reference and click the blue Track button.

Step 3: Read the Shipment Overview Screen

After submitting, you'll see a Shipment Overview card at the top of the results page. This card shows: the container number, vessel name and voyage number, port of loading, port of discharge, estimated arrival date (ETA), and current shipment status (e.g., "Vessel in transit," "Discharged," or "Available for pickup"). At this stage, LFD is not yet visible — you need to drill into the container detail view.

Step 4: Open Container Details

Click the container number or the View details link on the right side of the Shipment Overview card. This opens the Container Details panel, which expands inline on the page. You'll see a timeline of container events on the left: Departed origin, Vessel loaded, Arrived at port of discharge, Discharged from vessel. Each event shows a timestamp and location.

On the right side of the Container Details panel, look for the section labeled Demurrage & Detention. Within this section, Maersk displays:

• Free time start date: The discharge date (Day 0 in Maersk's counting method)
• Free time allowance: Number of calendar days (e.g., "4 days")
• Last Free Day: The specific date demurrage begins if the container is not picked up (e.g., "March 14, 2026")
• Estimated demurrage: If the LFD has already passed, Maersk calculates and displays an estimated accrued charge

The LFD field will show "N/A" or "Pending" if the vessel has not yet discharged at the destination terminal. It populates within 2–4 hours of the discharge event being recorded by the terminal.

Step 5: Verify Container Availability Status

Below the Demurrage & Detention section, Maersk displays the Container Availability status. This is a separate field from LFD and indicates whether the terminal has made the container accessible for pickup — customs release, terminal grounding, and hold status all feed into this field. A container can have a valid LFD displayed while still showing "Not available" due to a CBP customs exam or terminal freight hold. Do not dispatch drayage based on LFD alone — confirm availability status first.

Step 6: Download or Share the Tracking Data

At the top right of the Container Details panel, Maersk provides a Download PDF button and a Share link option. The PDF export includes the LFD, event timeline, and current status — useful for sending to your trucking vendor or filing with a customs broker. The share link generates a URL that displays a read-only tracking view, valid for 30 days.

Maersk Free Day Policy by Port

Maersk publishes its demurrage and detention tariff on their website. The rates below reflect Maersk's January 2026 D&D tariff update for standard US import shipments. Contract customers may negotiate different free day allowances and tiered rates — these are the published tariff defaults that apply when no contract override exists.

Source: Maersk Demurrage & Detention Tariff, January 2026 update. Maersk counts calendar days from the vessel discharge date — weekends and US federal holidays are included in the free day count. Reefer containers accrue an additional plug-in surcharge of $75–$100/day on top of the base demurrage rate while at the terminal.

For a full comparison of how Maersk's free day policy stacks up against MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, and six other major carriers, see our carrier free days comparison.

How to Request an LFD Extension on Maersk

Maersk processes LFD extension requests through their online portal. Unlike MSC, which routes extensions through local office email, Maersk has centralized the process — a request submitted through the portal goes directly into their D&D team's workflow. The steps below apply to Maersk.com as of Q1 2026.

Step 1: Log In to Your Maersk Account

Navigate to maersk.com and log in with your credentials. You must be logged in to submit an extension request — this is not available to unauthenticated users. If your company does not have a Maersk.com account, register at no cost using your company email and a valid Maersk B/L or booking number to link your account to your shipments.

Step 2: Locate the Shipment and Open the D&D Panel

From the tracking results, open the Container Details panel for the relevant container (follow Steps 3–4 in the portal walkthrough above). In the Demurrage & Detention section, you will see a Request free time extension link displayed below the LFD date. This link is only available when the LFD has not yet expired. If you are past LFD, the link is replaced with a demurrage invoice reference — at that point, you must contact Maersk customer service directly, and retroactive approvals are rare.

Step 3: Complete the Extension Request Form

Clicking "Request free time extension" opens a modal form. You will need to provide:

• Extension reason: Select from a dropdown — options include CBP customs exam, FDA/USDA inspection, port congestion, equipment unavailability, weather delay, and other documented cause.
• Supporting documentation: Upload a CBP exam notice, customs hold letter, terminal advisory, or other document substantiating the delay. Maersk evaluates documentation quality when deciding approval.
• Requested number of additional days: Be specific. Requesting 3 days with documentation of a 3-day CBP exam is more likely to be approved than an open-ended request.
• Contact email: Maersk will send the approval or denial to this address within 1–2 business days.

Step 4: Follow Up and Document the Outcome

Maersk sends an email confirmation when the request is received, and a second email with the decision. If approved, the new LFD will update in the tracking portal within 4–6 hours — refresh the Container Details panel to confirm the change before dispatching drayage. Screenshot or download the updated LFD from the portal; demurrage invoices occasionally generate incorrectly against the original LFD even after an approved extension, and you will need documentation to dispute those charges.

Under FMC regulations implementing OSRA 2022, Maersk cannot charge demurrage for periods when the container was under a CBP hold, government exam, or terminal-caused inaccessibility. If you receive a demurrage invoice covering a period you believe was protected under these rules, retain your documentation and file a formal dispute through Maersk's D&D dispute form or directly with the FMC. For a complete guide to the extension process across all carriers, see how to request an LFD extension.

Maersk Track & Trace API: Automated LFD Monitoring

Manual portal checks work for low volumes, but freight forwarders managing 50+ active Maersk containers need a better approach. Maersk offers a REST-based Track & Trace API through their Maersk Developer Portal, which exposes the same container data available in the web UI — including LFD — through authenticated API calls.

API Access and Authentication

Access to the Maersk Track & Trace API requires registration through the Maersk Developer Portal and approval of a Consumer Key (API key). Maersk provides API access to existing customers and their technology partners — registration requires a valid Maersk customer account. The API uses OAuth 2.0 client credentials for authentication, returning a bearer token that is included in subsequent request headers.

LFD Data in the API Response

The core endpoint for container tracking is GET /track/v1/containers/{containerNumber}. The JSON response includes a demurrageAndDetention object containing:

• freeTimeStartDate: ISO 8601 date string for when free time commenced (vessel discharge date)
• freeTimeAllowance: Integer count of free days per the applicable tariff
• lastFreeDate: ISO 8601 date string for the LFD — the field your monitoring system should consume
• estimatedDemurrageAmount: Calculated charge if LFD has passed, in USD
• containerAvailabilityStatus: Boolean or enum indicating whether the container is available for pickup

Maersk also supports webhook subscriptions for container events via their /subscriptions endpoint. You can register a callback URL that Maersk will POST to whenever a tracked container's status changes — including when LFD is assigned after discharge, when LFD is modified following an approved extension, and when the container transitions to "Available." This event-driven approach is more efficient than polling when monitoring large container volumes.

When Manual Checks Are Insufficient

The practical limit for sustainable manual LFD checking is roughly 20–30 active Maersk containers per operations staff member per day. Beyond that threshold, the time cost of logging in, searching each container, recording the LFD, and updating your TMS or spreadsheet exceeds the value of the manual process — and human error starts causing missed pickups. At that scale, integrating the Maersk API (or a third-party platform that aggregates multiple carrier APIs) into your operations tech stack is the more cost-effective path.

The LFD tracking problem compounds when your freight mix spans multiple carriers. A forwarder managing containers across Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd simultaneously is looking at four separate API integrations or four separate manual portal checks per container. Platforms built on top of multi-carrier tracking APIs solve this by presenting all LFD data — regardless of carrier — in a unified interface with configurable alerts.

Common LFD Issues on Maersk Shipments

Even experienced operations teams encounter specific Maersk LFD edge cases. The following are the most frequently reported issues.

LFD Not Showing After Discharge

Maersk populates LFD within 2–4 hours of the discharge event. If the field still shows "Pending" after 6 hours, confirm that the vessel has completed discharge at the port (not just arrived in port). During high-congestion periods at ports like LA/Long Beach, it can take 24–48 hours for terminal discharge data to flow back to Maersk's systems. In these cases, contact Maersk customer service with the vessel name, voyage number, and container number — they can manually pull the LFD from the terminal's system.

LFD Changed Without Notification

Maersk can modify LFD when vessel arrival dates shift, when a container is rolled to a later vessel, or when a terminal reports a corrected discharge date. These changes are reflected in the portal but do not always trigger proactive customer notification. This is why polling the API or checking the portal regularly — not just at booking — is essential. A container you checked on Monday with a March 20 LFD may have had its LFD revised to March 18 by Wednesday due to a corrected discharge timestamp.

Split B/L with Multiple Container LFDs

When a single Maersk B/L covers multiple containers loaded on different vessels or discharged on different days, each container will have its own LFD. Searching by B/L number returns all containers on that B/L, but LFDs will differ container by container. Always review each container's LFD individually rather than assuming the earliest or latest applies to all.

Next Steps for Maersk LFD Management

Checking LFD on Maersk is straightforward once you know the portal flow. The operational challenge is doing it consistently, across all containers, before the LFD expires — not after a demurrage invoice arrives. The forwarders who eliminate demurrage cost are the ones with a daily LFD review process, not just the ones who know where to click on Maersk.com.

If your operation spans multiple carriers beyond Maersk, the manual process breaks down quickly. For a full breakdown of how free day policies compare across all major shipping lines, see our carrier free days comparison. For a step-by-step guide to negotiating LFD extensions across carriers, see how to request an LFD extension.