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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 303 Booking Cancellation (Ocean)

The X12 document a shipper or forwarder uses to cancel a previous ocean booking request.

Sent by
Shipper or freight forwarder
Received by
Ocean carrier
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 303?

The EDI 303 Booking Cancellation (Ocean) is the ANSI X12 transaction set that provides all the information a shipper or forwarder needs to cancel a previous booking request (300). It identifies the booking and gives the reason for cancellation.

Cancelling promptly releases space and equipment the carrier has reserved, and may avoid charges for no-shows or unused equipment. The cancellation should reference the carrier's booking number from the 301 confirmation. Most carriers also accept amendments to a booking, which are a better choice when only the details of the booking change.

How the EDI 303 worksDiagram of the EDI 303 Booking Cancellation (Ocean). Shipper or freight forwarder sends it to ocean carrier. It usually follows 301. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B1 (Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/Delivery) and Y5 (Space Booking Cancellation). 0 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 303 worksBooking Cancellation (Ocean): who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS301Confirmation (Ocean)EDI 303SENDERShipper or freightforwarderRECEIVEROcean carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code ROGS … GETransaction set 303ST … SEHEADINGB1Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/DeliveryY5Space Booking CancellationBlue 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 303. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 303 worksDiagram of the EDI 303 Booking Cancellation (Ocean). Shipper or freight forwarder sends it to ocean carrier. It usually follows 301. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B1 (Beginning Segment for Booking or Pickup/Delivery) and Y5 (Space Booking Cancellation). 0 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 303 worksBooking Cancellation (Ocean): who sends it,where it fits and what the standard marksrequired1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS301Confirmation (Ocean)EDI 303SENDERShipper orfreightforwarderRECEIVEROcean carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code RO (GS … GE)Transaction set 303 (ST … SE)HEADINGB1Beginning Segment for Bookingor Pickup/DeliveryY5Space Booking CancellationBlue 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 303. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 303, 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 303 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

  • Cancelling a booking that is no longer needed
  • Releasing space after an order is cancelled or delayed
  • Cancelling a duplicate booking

Where it fits in the document flow

Usually follows 301 Confirmation (Ocean)
This document 303 Booking Cancellation (Ocean)
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 303 (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
  • Y5
  • SE

Practical example

The 303 in practice

An exporter's customer postpones an order by a month, so two of the four containers booked for next week's sailing are no longer needed. The forwarder sends the carrier a 303 cancelling the second booking, referencing the booking number and the reason. The carrier releases the space and the empty containers it had allocated.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 303

  • Reference the carrier's booking number from the 301.
  • Cancel early to avoid charges and to free capacity for others.
  • Update container pickup plans so empties are not collected unnecessarily.
  • Use a booking amendment rather than a cancellation where only details change.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 303 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

Logistics Automation

Automate tenders, status updates, freight invoices and warehouse orders with logistics partners.

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

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