Ports
Ports cover seaports and airports alike.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Code | The port's identifier — normally UN/LOCODE. Required. |
| Name | Its common name. Required. |
| Country | Selected from the country list, shown with flag and ISO code. Required. |
| Load type | FCL, LCL or air — which traffic this port serves. Required. |
| Description | Free text. |
| Status | Active or inactive. |
Use UN/LOCODE for the code. It is what carriers, customs systems and your agents use, and it is the only value that stays unambiguous when data moves between systems. EGALY is unmistakable; Alex is not.
Agents
An agent is an overseas partner handling the other end of a movement.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | The agent's trading name. |
| EDI code | Their electronic data interchange identifier. |
| Status | Active or inactive. |
Agents additionally hold:
- Address — street, street number, address line, city, state, postal code, country.
- Offices — an agent operating in several places has one office record per location, each tied to a port and given a name.
- Contacts — the people you deal with.
Offices are what make a multi-location agent workable. Attaching the office to a port means the right branch is used for the right movement, instead of everything going to head office and being forwarded on.
Agent rates are held separately as agent tariffs — see Contracts and tariffs.
Storage companies and warehouses
Two levels, deliberately separated.
A storage company is the operator — name and status. A warehouse is an individual facility:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Name | The facility's name. Required. |
| Code | Its external system code. |
| Storage company | The operator. Required. |
| Port / Airport | The port it serves. Required. |
| Load type | Which traffic it handles. |
| Active | Yes or no. |
The separation matters when one operator runs several sites: rates, contacts and cargo are tracked per facility, while the commercial relationship sits at the company.
Warehouse rates are held as warehouse tariffs, and storage charges depend on the storage date recorded on the cargo — see Cargo, packages and containers.
Shipping lines
Ocean carriers, held simply by name. Referenced from FCL shipments and voyages.
Airlines
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Code | The airline code. |
| Name | Its name. |
| Description | Free text. |
| Status | Active or inactive. |
Use the IATA code. Air waybill numbers begin with the airline's three-digit prefix, and having the code right is what lets the number be validated rather than merely stored.
Keeping the party list clean
- One record per real party. A carrier appearing under both its brand and its legal name splits every report that groups by carrier.
- Deactivate agents you no longer work with rather than deleting them. Historic shipments still name them.
- Review agent contacts annually. Contact churn at the far end is invisible to you until a shipment arrives and nobody answers.
Last updated 9 September 2026