Data accuracy report

How we verify the ISO 6346 prefix registry, and what we found this run

Most container-prefix directories publish a static table and never revisit it. Blue Water Facts runs an automated monthly spot-check of our owner-prefix registry against the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) — the body that actually issues ISO 6346 owner codes — and we publish the raw result of every run below, including anything that didn't match.

Why this exists

In July 2026 an internal review found 57 prefixes in our registry claimed by two or more carrier profiles at once (equipment does get reassigned or leased between operators, but some of those were plain authoring errors). We corrected the registry against BIC records and, rather than let it drift again, wired up a recurring job that keeps checking it. BIC does not publish a bulk or keyless export, so the job cannot re-verify all ~728 codes in one pass — it checks every code still flagged as multi-claimed (the highest-risk set) plus a rotating slice of single-claim codes each month, so full coverage accumulates over time without hammering their lookup pages.

This run's results

What "flagged for review" means

A code is flagged, not silently corrected, whenever the BIC-registered company name for that code doesn't line up with the carrier we currently attribute it to. We do not auto-rewrite carrier attributions from this job — a human reviewer checks the flag against the primary source (BIC's own per-code page, plus the carrier's own equipment disclosures where available) before any copy changes. That keeps a bad automated match from silently overwriting a correct one.

If you spot a prefix that looks wrong before we do, tell us at editor@bluewaterfacts.com with the code and a source, and we'll check it against BIC directly.