ZIM Cargo Tracking Scraper

What does ZIM Cargo Tracking Scraper do?

ZIM Cargo Tracking Scraper automates ZIM container tracking, bill of lading tracking, and booking tracking. Submit one or more ZIM shipment references and receive structured data for containers, voyage legs, vessels, origin and destination ports, sailing and arrival dates, ETA information, and carrier status.

The Actor provides a practical ZIM shipment tracking API for freight operations, logistics dashboards, supply chain applications, recurring cargo monitoring, and bulk data exports. Results are stored in an Apify dataset and can be downloaded as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or other supported formats.

The Actor checks each submitted reference against the ZIM tracking service and stores a dataset item when shipment data is available. It supports:

• 📦 ZIM container tracking for individual containers or bulk lists
• 📄 ZIM bill of lading tracking from the same input field
• 🗂️ Booking reference tracking when supported by the carrier response
• 🚢 Vessel and voyage tracking across shipment legs
• 🌍 Origin, transshipment, and destination port data
• 🕒 Sailing, arrival, berth, and final ETA fields
• 🔌 ZIM tracking API integration through Apify
• ⏰ Scheduled shipment monitoring without manual carrier checks

The scraper runs lookups in parallel batches and can rotate proxy addresses when the upstream service rate-limits a request.

Why scrape ZIM shipment data?

Repeatedly checking the ZIM website is time-consuming for teams managing many shipments. Automated ZIM cargo tracking helps freight forwarders, importers, exporters, logistics providers, analysts, and software platforms:

• Monitor many ZIM containers in one run
• Track vessel legs and port-to-port movements
• Compare carrier-provided sailing, arrival, and ETA information
• Populate transport management systems with structured data
• Build shipment status dashboards and customer portals
• Trigger alerts when a shipment record changes
• Schedule daily or hourly ZIM tracking checks

What data can you extract from ZIM?

Data field	Description
tracking_number	Container, B/L, or booking reference submitted by the user
unitListItem	Containers or shipment units returned by ZIM
unitPrefix, unitNo	Container prefix and unit number
cycleStatus, cycleStatusDesc	Current unit-cycle status and description
finalEta, agreedEta	Carrier-provided estimated arrival fields
vpBrl.vpBrl	Voyage and port-routing legs
vesselName, vessel, voyage	Vessel and voyage identifiers for a leg
portNameFrom, portCodeFrom	Origin port name and code for the leg
portNameTo, portCodeTo	Destination port name and code for the leg
sailingDateDt, arrivalDateDt	Sailing and arrival dates
berthSailingDate, berthArrivalDate	Berth-related schedule information
transportType, routeCode	Transport mode and route details

The ZIM response structure can vary by shipment and reference type. The Actor preserves all returned unit and routing data for advanced integrations.

Ready-to-Run Examples

Get started in seconds — open the example in the Apify Console and click Run:

• Track ZIM Containers by Container Number — enter a container number and get its vessel legs, origin and destination ports, sailing and arrival dates, and ETA details.

How to track ZIM shipments step by step

1. Open the Actor in Apify Console.
2. Add container, bill of lading, or booking references under Tracking Numbers.
3. Enter one reference per line.
4. Click Start.
5. Inspect the routing data in the Output tab or export the default dataset.

Example input

{
  "trackingNumbers": [
    "ZCSU7074221"
  ]
}

ZIM tracking input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
trackingNumbers	Array of strings	Yes	ZIM container, bill of lading, or booking references; enter one per line

ZIM Cargo Tracking Scraper output example

One successful reference creates one dataset item. This shortened example uses illustrative route values:

{
  "tracking_number": "ZCSU7074221",
  "unitListItem": [
    {
      "unitPrefix": "ZCSU",
      "unitNo": "7074221",
      "cycleStatusDesc": "ACTIVE",
      "finalEta": "2026-07-20T00:00:00Z",
      "vpBrl": {
        "vpBrl": [
          {
            "vesselName": "EXAMPLE VESSEL",
            "voyage": "001E",
            "portNameFrom": "ORIGIN PORT",
            "portNameTo": "DESTINATION PORT",
            "sailingDateDt": "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z",
            "arrivalDateDt": "2026-07-20T00:00:00Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Actual results may contain multiple units and voyage legs. Unknown or unavailable references are skipped and do not create a tracking-result charge event.

Integrations and ZIM tracking API

Apify makes it possible to use ZIM tracking data as part of a production logistics workflow:

• API access from Python, JavaScript, cURL, or another HTTP client
• Schedules for recurring ZIM shipment checks
• Webhooks for run completion and failure notifications
• Integrations with Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, and other tools
• Dataset exports in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML, or RSS

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to scrape ZIM?

The Actor retrieves shipment tracking information using references supplied by the user. Only query shipments you are authorized to access, and ensure your use complies with applicable laws and carrier terms. This Actor is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services.

Can I track multiple shipments at once?

Yes. Add multiple references to the input. They are processed in parallel batches, with one dataset item saved per successful reference.

What types of tracking numbers are supported?

The Actor accepts container numbers, bill of lading numbers, and booking references through trackingNumbers.

What if a tracking number is not found?

The Actor logs a warning, skips the reference, and does not create an empty dataset item or result charge.

How do I get support or report issues?

Open the Issues tab on the Actor page and provide the Apify run ID and relevant non-sensitive logs. Never include an Apify token or confidential shipment documents.