How Evergreen Container Tracking Actually Works: What the Portal Shows, What It Doesn't, and What the Events Mean

Key Takeaways

Evergreen’s tracking runs through ShipmentLink (shipmentlink.com), with direct container tracking at ct.shipmentlink.com. The portal accepts container numbers, B/L numbers, and booking references (booking lookup is region-limited).
Evergreen’s API is not self-service — access requires a four-step process through a sales representative, with JWT authentication and IP whitelisting.
The API offers five services: Track and Trace, Booking, Shipping Instructions, Transport Documents (including eBL), and Commercial Schedules. This is one of the broadest API offerings among carriers.
Transshipment is shown as separate discharge and reload events, giving better visibility into hub operations than carriers like CMA CGM or ONE.
Schedule reliability was volatile in 2025: 82.5% mid-year (near the top of all carriers), falling to 50-60% by Q4.
Evergreen is a DCSA founding member and part of the Ocean Alliance with CMA CGM, COSCO, and OOCL.
Container prefixes span a wide range: EISU (primary), EMCU, EGHU, EITU, EGSU, HMCU, IMTU, LTIU, and UGMU.

What the Portal Shows You

Evergreen’s tracking infrastructure runs through ShipmentLink, a platform that has served as Evergreen’s digital interface for years. The main portal at shipmentlink.com provides the full suite of e-commerce services, while direct container tracking is available at ct.shipmentlink.com without login.

The portal accepts three identifier types: container number, B/L number, and booking reference. However, booking number lookup is region-limited — depending on which Evergreen office issued the booking, the search may or may not work from all regions. Container number and B/L are the most reliable search options globally.

Registered users get significantly more functionality. With a ShipmentLink account, you can access tracking reports with more detailed event history, set up email notifications for milestone events, and view shipment statistics. The registered experience is a meaningful step up from the public container lookup.

Evergreen also has a mobile app, but it was last updated in December 2023 and user reviews cite missing ETA data and general reliability issues. If the app gives you incomplete information, cross-check against the ShipmentLink website — the website is the authoritative source.

Container prefix coverage is extensive. Evergreen’s SCAC code is EGLV. The container prefixes you will encounter include EISU (primary), EMCU, EGHU, EITU, EGSU, HMCU, IMTU, LTIU, and UGMU. The variety reflects Evergreen’s large leased fleet. All prefixes are trackable through ShipmentLink. For guidance on identifiers, see our identifier guide.

Event Names and What They Mean

Evergreen’s event labels are straightforward and follow common industry terminology more closely than COSCO’s proprietary naming. The table below maps each label to its meaning and the corresponding DCSA code.

Evergreen Event Label	What Actually Happened	DCSA Code
Gate In	Laden container entered the origin terminal	GTIN
Loaded on Vessel	Container was lifted onto the vessel at port of loading	LOAD
Vessel Departed	Ship left the port of loading	DEPA
Discharged (T/S)	Container unloaded at the transshipment port	DISC
Loaded on Vessel (T/S)	Container loaded onto connecting vessel at hub	LOAD
Discharged	Container unloaded from the vessel at destination	DISC
Gate Out	Container left the destination terminal	GTOT
Delivered	Container delivered to consignee’s location	DLVD
Empty Returned	Empty container returned to carrier depot	—

Transshipment events are properly broken out. Unlike CMA CGM (single “Transshipment” label) or ONE (single “Transshipment” label), Evergreen publishes separate discharge and reload events at the transshipment hub. “Discharged (T/S)” and “Loaded on Vessel (T/S)” appear as distinct milestones. This gives you actual visibility into whether the container is sitting at the hub or has been loaded onto the next vessel — a meaningful operational difference when transshipment dwell times can range from 2 days to 2 weeks.

Evergreen publishes both “Delivered” and “Empty Returned” events. Not all carriers do. Having both in the timeline means you can track the full container lifecycle from origin gate-in through empty return, which is valuable for demurrage and detention management.

Update Cadence: How Fresh Is the Data?

Evergreen’s tracking updates are event-driven, firing when terminal milestone events occur rather than on a fixed polling schedule. The data freshness is comparable to other mid-tier carriers — typically 4-12 hours from physical event to portal display, depending on the terminal and the event type.

The API supports both pull and push (webhook) modes. This is a notable feature: instead of polling Evergreen’s API at intervals, you can configure webhook notifications that push event data to your system when milestones fire. Webhook-based tracking reduces lag compared to periodic polling and means you learn about events as soon as Evergreen’s backend processes them, rather than whenever your system next polls.

Mid-ocean silence is standard. Between “Vessel Departed” and the next port event, the portal shows no updates. On transpacific routes, this silence lasts 10-20 days. On Asia-to-Europe routings through Ocean Alliance services, the silence persists until the first transshipment port. This is normal and consistent with every other carrier. Our guide on why tracking stops updating covers when mid-ocean silence is expected versus when it signals a problem.

Evergreen’s webhook push model reduces the impact of polling lag. If you are using the API with webhook notifications configured, you receive events as soon as Evergreen’s backend processes them — eliminating the polling interval entirely. For teams that need the fastest possible notification of milestone events, the webhook path is a meaningful advantage over the poll-based tracking available from most other carriers. The key constraint is that webhook access requires getting through Evergreen’s four-step API application process first.

Known Gaps and Quirks

Schedule reliability was highly volatile in 2025. Evergreen hit 82.5% reliability mid-year — one of the highest scores among all carriers at the time — but dropped to the 50-60% range by Q4. This kind of swing makes Evergreen ETAs particularly unreliable for long-range planning. A mid-year booking might arrive on time; a Q4 booking on the same route might be a week late.

The mobile app is outdated. Last updated in December 2023, the Evergreen mobile app has accumulated user complaints about missing ETA data and general unreliability. If you rely on mobile for tracking, use the ShipmentLink website through your mobile browser rather than the app. The browser version pulls live data from the same backend without the app’s display issues.

Booking number lookup is region-limited. This is an uncommon restriction. If you try to search by booking number and get no results, it may not mean the booking does not exist — it may mean the booking was issued by an Evergreen office in a different region. Switch to container number or B/L for the most reliable lookup globally.

No “Available for Pickup” event. Evergreen does not publish a combined availability status. The gap between “Discharged” and “Gate Out” remains operationally opaque — you do not know from the portal whether the container is held by customs, held for freight, or sitting accessible in the yard.

Ocean Alliance partner-vessel data flows. As part of the Ocean Alliance (with CMA CGM, COSCO, and OOCL), Evergreen-booked containers may travel on partner vessels. Tracking data for these alliance-operated legs may be slightly delayed or less granular compared to Evergreen’s own-vessel events.

Low complaint volume is notable. Compared to MSC, CMA CGM, and even Maersk, Evergreen generates relatively few tracking-related complaints in public forums and review sites. This does not mean the tracking is perfect — it means the pain points are less acute. The portal works as expected most of the time, without the dramatic lag or transshipment black holes that plague some competitors.

The IP whitelisting requirement for the API creates operational friction. Unlike API key or OAuth-based authentication (where credentials work from any network), Evergreen’s JWT + IP whitelisting means your server’s IP address must be pre-registered. If you migrate servers, scale across cloud regions, or use dynamic IP infrastructure, you need to update the IP whitelist with Evergreen each time. This is manageable for static on-premises deployments but creates a maintenance burden for cloud-native architectures.

Evergreen’s SCAC code (EGLV) does not follow the standard four-letter prefix pattern. Most carriers have SCAC codes that match or resemble their container prefixes (Maersk’s MAEU, ZIM’s ZIMU). Evergreen’s EGLV does not obviously connect to any of its nine container prefixes (EISU, EMCU, EGHU, etc.). If your TMS uses SCAC codes to route tracking queries, ensure the EGLV-to-prefix mapping is correctly configured.

What to Do When Tracking Breaks

Scenario 1: Booking number search returns no results. This is likely a region-limitation issue. Switch to container number or B/L search, both of which work globally. If you only have the booking number, contact your Evergreen booking office for the container number or B/L.

Scenario 2: Mobile app shows incomplete data. The app has not been updated since December 2023. Use the ShipmentLink website (shipmentlink.com or ct.shipmentlink.com) through a mobile browser for more complete and current data.

Scenario 3: “Discharged (T/S)” posted with no reload event for 7+ days. The container is sitting at the transshipment hub waiting for a connecting vessel. Contact your Evergreen booking agent for the confirmed feeder vessel and revised ETA. The portal will not proactively tell you about the delay.

Scenario 4: ETA that was accurate mid-year is now unreliable. Evergreen’s Q4 2025 schedule reliability dropped significantly from its mid-year highs. If you are planning downstream logistics based on Evergreen ETAs, build in more buffer during periods of lower reliability. Check Sea-Intelligence’s monthly reports for current carrier reliability rankings.

Scenario 5: Cannot identify which Evergreen prefix a container belongs to. Evergreen uses more container prefixes than most carriers (EISU, EMCU, EGHU, EITU, EGSU, HMCU, IMTU, LTIU, UGMU). All resolve on ShipmentLink. If you have a prefix you do not recognize, try searching it on ShipmentLink — if it resolves, it is Evergreen equipment.

API and Integration Options

Evergreen’s API is accessed through ShipmentLink’s API portal at shipmentlink.com/_ec/APIPORTAL_Home. The offering is broader than most carriers: five separate API services covering Track and Trace, Booking, Shipping Instructions, Transport Documents (including electronic bills of lading), and Commercial Schedules.

Access is not self-service. Unlike Maersk’s open registration or CMA CGM’s API key model, Evergreen requires a four-step process that involves contacting a sales representative, submitting an application, getting approved, and receiving credentials. Authentication uses JWT tokens with IP whitelisting — your server’s IP address must be pre-registered before API calls will be accepted.

Evergreen is an early DCSA member and the API output follows DCSA standards. Combined with the webhook push capability, Evergreen’s API is technically capable — the barrier is the gated access process, not the feature set. If you can get through the four-step setup, the integration itself is straightforward.

Schedule reliability figures, update cadence estimates, and carrier performance data referenced in this guide are based on third-party industry reports and may reflect specific monthly snapshots rather than sustained averages. Carrier systems and capabilities are subject to change.