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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 312 Arrival Notice (Ocean)

The X12 document an ocean carrier sends to give the consignee what it needs to receive a shipment, including charges due and the estimated arrival.

Sent by
Ocean carrier or its agent
Received by
Consignee, notify party or customs broker
Standard
ANSI ASC X12
EDIFACT equivalent
IFTMAN

What is an EDI 312?

The EDI 312 Arrival Notice (Ocean) is the ANSI X12 transaction set that provides all the information a consignee needs to receive a shipment, including customs information, payments due and the estimated date and time of arrival.

The arrival notice starts the import side of an ocean shipment. Customs brokers use it to prepare entries, consignees use it to arrange pickup and pay outstanding charges, and the dates in it drive free time and demurrage calculations. It is usually sent several days before the vessel arrives.

How the EDI 312 worksDiagram of the EDI 312 Arrival Notice (Ocean). Ocean carrier or its agent sends it to consignee, notify party or customs broker. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B3 (Beginning Segment for Carrier's Invoice), Q3 (Arrival Details), V1 (Vessel Identification), the required N1 loop with N1 (Party Identification) and the required R4 loop with R4 (Port or Terminal), detail: the required LX loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and summary: L3 (Total Weight and Charges). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 312 worksArrival Notice (Ocean): who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 312SENDEROcean carrier or itsagentRECEIVERConsignee, notify partyor customs broker997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code IOGS … GETransaction set 312ST … SEHEADINGB3Beginning Segment for Carrier'sInvoiceQ3Arrival DetailsV1Vessel IdentificationRequired loop N1 · repeats up to10N1Party IdentificationRequired loop R4 · repeats up to20R4Port or TerminalDETAILRequired loop LX · repeats up to999LXTransaction Set LineNumber+ 2 optional loops, starting with:N7L0SUMMARYL3Total Weight and Charges+ 1 optional loop, starting with:L1Blue 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 312. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 312 worksDiagram of the EDI 312 Arrival Notice (Ocean). Ocean carrier or its agent sends it to consignee, notify party or customs broker. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B3 (Beginning Segment for Carrier's Invoice), Q3 (Arrival Details), V1 (Vessel Identification), the required N1 loop with N1 (Party Identification) and the required R4 loop with R4 (Port or Terminal), detail: the required LX loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and summary: L3 (Total Weight and Charges). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 312 worksArrival Notice (Ocean): who sends it, where itfits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 312SENDEROcean carrier orits agentRECEIVERConsignee,notify party orcustoms broker997 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 IO (GS … GE)Transaction set 312 (ST … SE)HEADINGB3Beginning Segment forCarrier's InvoiceQ3Arrival DetailsV1Vessel IdentificationRequired loop N1 · repeats up to10N1Party IdentificationRequired loop R4 · repeats up to20R4Port or TerminalDETAILRequired loop LX · repeats up to999LXTransaction Set LineNumber+ 2 optional loops, starting with:N7L0SUMMARYL3Total Weight and Charges+ 1 optional loop, starting with:L1Blue 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 312. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 312, 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 312 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

  • Notifying a consignee of an arriving ocean shipment
  • Advising charges that must be paid before release
  • Giving customs brokers data for entry preparation

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 312 Arrival Notice (Ocean)
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 312 (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
  • B3
  • Q3
  • V1
  • N1
  • R4
  • LX
  • N7
  • H1
  • LH1
  • L0
  • L1
  • L3
  • SE

Practical example

The 312 in practice

A furniture importer's containers are five days from the Port of Los Angeles. The carrier sends a 312 to the importer and its customs broker with the bill of lading, the containers, the vessel and estimated arrival, the discharge terminal and the freight charges collect. The broker files the customs entry and the importer pays the charges so the containers can be released on arrival.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 312

  • Route arrival notices to customs brokers as well as the consignee.
  • Track estimated arrival changes, since free time starts at discharge.
  • Pay charges due before arrival to avoid release delays.
  • Match the notice to the purchase orders on the bill of lading.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 312 with ECOM

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

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

Industry

Retail

Retail and eCommerce EDI for suppliers and retailers, from purchase order to payment, with compliance built in.

Solution

Supply Chain Visibility

Track orders, shipments and invoices across partners and catch exceptions early.

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

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