Understanding your tracking milestones, from booked to delivered
Tracking is only useful if you know what to do at each stage. Here is what every milestone means and what we need from you when it appears.
The six milestones
| Milestone | What it means | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| Booked | Cargo received and allocated to a sailing or flight | Confirm invoice details and consignee name |
| In transit | Vessel or aircraft has departed origin | Send any missing permits now |
| Arrived Ghana port | Discharged at Tema or KIA | Nothing — the clock on free days starts |
| Customs clearing | Declaration lodged with GRA / ICUMS | Settle duty and charges promptly |
| Out for delivery | Released and loaded for last mile | Make sure someone can receive |
| Delivered | Signed for at your address | Check pieces against the packing list |
Why an ETA can move
Vessel schedules change: port congestion, a missed berthing window, or a transhipment delay at a hub can shift arrival by days. We log every ETA change against the shipment so you see the history, not just the latest guess.
Tracking with a mark, a code or a reference
The public tracking page accepts your NDL-GH-#### shipping mark, an individual package code, or the shipment reference on your invoice. All three resolve to the same journey view with dates, vessel details, piece count, weight and CBM.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my shipment still show "in transit" after the ETA?
The status changes when the vessel actually discharges, not when it was scheduled to. If the ETA has passed, check the ETA history on the tracking card — a revised date is usually already recorded.
Do you send tracking updates on WhatsApp?
Yes. Intake, sailing, arrival, clearing and delivery updates are sent to the phone number on your account.
Keep reading
The real cost of shipping from Guangzhou to Accra in 2026
A full breakdown of what it costs to ship a carton or a container from Guangzhou or Yiwu to Accra — sea CBM rates, air kg rates, local port charges and duty.
Tema Port customs duty explained: how GRA calculates what you pay
Understand Ghana import duty, VAT, NHIL, GETFund and the ECOWAS levy, how ICUMS values your goods at Tema Port, and which documents you need to clear fast.
Sea freight vs air cargo to Ghana: how to choose without guessing
A decision framework for choosing sea LCL, FCL or air cargo when shipping to Ghana, with break-even density maths, transit times and cash-flow considerations.