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A container’s journey from origin to destination passes through a predictable sequence of milestones. Terminal49 sends a webhook event for each milestone so you can build a real-time timeline without polling.

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The container journey

For containers with transshipments, feeder vessels, or inland rail moves, additional milestone events fire at each intermediate point.

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Events in journey order

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Origin to vessel

EventMilestone
container.transport.empty_outEmpty container picked up at origin
container.transport.full_inFull container gated in at port of lading
container.transport.vessel_loadedLoaded onto vessel
container.transport.vessel_departedVessel departed port of lading

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Transshipment (if applicable)

EventMilestone
container.transport.transshipment_arrivedArrived at transshipment port
container.transport.transshipment_dischargedDischarged at transshipment port
container.transport.transshipment_loadedLoaded onto next vessel
container.transport.transshipment_departedDeparted transshipment port

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Destination

EventMilestone
container.transport.vessel_arrivedVessel arrived at port of discharge
container.transport.vessel_berthedVessel berthed at port of discharge
container.transport.vessel_dischargedContainer discharged from vessel
container.transport.availableAvailable for pickup
container.transport.full_outPicked up from terminal
container.transport.empty_inEmpty returned

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Rail (if applicable)

EventMilestone
container.transport.rail_loadedLoaded onto rail
container.transport.rail_departedRail departed
container.transport.rail_arrivedRail arrived at inland ramp
container.transport.rail_unloadedUnloaded from rail
container.transport.arrived_at_inland_destinationArrived at final inland destination

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Build a milestone timeline

Each transport event webhook includes a transport_event object in the included array with the event type, timestamp, and location: 
app.post("/webhooks/terminal49", (req, res) => {
  const { data, included } = req.body;
  const event = data.attributes.event;

  if (!event.startsWith("container.transport.")) {
    return res.sendStatus(200);
  }

  const transportEvent = included.find((obj) => obj.type === "transport_event");
  const container = included.find((obj) => obj.type === "container");
  const shipment = included.find((obj) => obj.type === "shipment");

  const milestone = {
    containerNumber: container.attributes.number,
    bolNumber: shipment.attributes.bill_of_lading_number,
    event: event,
    timestamp: transportEvent.attributes.timestamp,
    timezone: transportEvent.attributes.timezone,
    location: transportEvent.attributes.location_locode,
    voyageNumber: transportEvent.attributes.voyage_number,
  };

  await saveMilestone(milestone);

  res.sendStatus(200);
});
Transport event timestamps are stored in UTC. Use the timezone field to convert to local time. See Event Timestamps for details.

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Common patterns

  • Customer portal — display a visual timeline showing where each container is in its journey
  • Dwell time tracking — measure time between vessel_arrived and full_out to identify port delays
  • Transit time analysis — compare vessel_departed to vessel_arrived across carriers and routes
  • Exception detection — alert when a container has been at a milestone for longer than expected
  • Export visibility — track empty_out through vessel_departed for outbound shipments