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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 301 Confirmation (Ocean)

The X12 document an ocean carrier sends to confirm space, container and equipment availability for a booking, or to notify other parties of it.

Sent by
Ocean carrier
Received by
Shipper, forwarder, terminal operator or other carrier
Standard
ANSI ASC X12
EDIFACT equivalent
IFTMBC

What is an EDI 301?

The EDI 301 Confirmation (Ocean) is the ANSI X12 transaction set an ocean carrier uses to confirm space, container and equipment availability in response to a 300 booking request. It can also be sent to notify other parties, such as terminal operators or other ocean carriers, about the booking.

The confirmation gives the shipper the booking number, the vessel and voyage, cut-off dates and where to collect empty containers. Those details drive the rest of the export process, from container pickup to the submission of shipping instructions.

How the EDI 301 worksDiagram of the EDI 301 Confirmation (Ocean). Ocean carrier sends it to shipper, forwarder, terminal operator or other carrier. It usually follows 300. It is usually followed by 304 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B1 (Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/Delivery), Y3 (Space Confirmation) and the required R4 loop with R4 (Port or Terminal) and detail: the required LX loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and the required L0 loop with L0 (Line Item - Quantity and Weight). 4 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 301 worksConfirmation (Ocean): who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS300Reservation (BookingRequest) (Ocean)EDI 301SENDEROcean carrierRECEIVERShipper, forwarder,terminal operator orother carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY304Shipping Instructions997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code ROGS … GETransaction set 301ST … SEHEADINGB1Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/DeliveryY3Space ConfirmationRequired loop R4 · repeats up to 20R4Port or Terminal+ 2 optional loops, starting with:Y4N1DETAILRequired loop LX · repeats up to 999LXTransaction Set Line NumberRequired loop L0 · repeats up to 999L0Line Item - Quantity and Weight+ 2 optional loops, starting with:H1LH1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 301. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 301 worksDiagram of the EDI 301 Confirmation (Ocean). Ocean carrier sends it to shipper, forwarder, terminal operator or other carrier. It usually follows 300. It is usually followed by 304 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B1 (Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/Delivery), Y3 (Space Confirmation) and the required R4 loop with R4 (Port or Terminal) and detail: the required LX loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and the required L0 loop with L0 (Line Item - Quantity and Weight). 4 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 301 worksConfirmation (Ocean): who sends it, where itfits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS300Reservation (Booking Request) (Ocean)EDI 301SENDEROcean carrierRECEIVERShipper,forwarder,terminaloperator orother carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY304Shipping Instructions997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code RO (GS … GE)Transaction set 301 (ST … SE)HEADINGB1Beginning Segment for Bookingor Pickup/DeliveryY3Space ConfirmationRequired loop R4 · repeats up to20R4Port or Terminal+ 2 optional loops, starting with:Y4N1DETAILRequired loop LX · repeats up to999LXTransaction Set LineNumberRequired loop L0 · repeats upto 999L0Line Item - Quantityand Weight+ 2 optional loops, starting with:H1LH1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 301. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 301, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 301 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Confirming a shipper's or forwarder's booking request
  • Notifying terminals of expected bookings
  • Communicating changes to vessel, voyage or cut-off dates

Where it fits in the document flow

Usually follows 300 Reservation (Booking Request) (Ocean)
This document 301 Confirmation (Ocean)
Usually followed by 304 Shipping Instructions997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 301 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • B1
  • Y3
  • Y4
  • N1
  • R4
  • LX
  • L0
  • H1
  • LH1
  • SE

Practical example

The 301 in practice

After receiving a 300 booking request for four containers, the ocean carrier sends a 301 confirming the booking, the vessel and voyage, the container yard for empty pickup and the cargo cut-off date. The forwarder's system updates the shipment and alerts the exporter to load and return the containers before the cut-off.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 301

  • Watch for changed confirmations, because vessel and cut-off changes affect loading plans.
  • Store cut-off dates and booking numbers where shipping teams can act on them.
  • Match each 301 to the booking request it confirms.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 301 with ECOM

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

Load tenders, responses, status and freight invoices for carriers, brokers and shippers, integrated with the TMS.

Industry

3PL and Warehousing

Warehouse orders, shipping advice, receipts and inventory reporting between brands, 3PLs, carriers and retailers.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

Related transactions

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