Africa Express Line
Africa Express Line (legal entity Africa Express Line Ltd.) is a niche operator headquartered in Maidstone, UK. Founded in 1989, the line has spent 37 years building out its container service network and today operates a fleet of 6 vessels under the SCAC code AELS. Total operated capacity stands near 6,500 TEU, placing the carrier among the recognised operators on its core trade lanes.
Africa Express Line is most active on the following corridors: Reefer, Africa-Europe. The line operates on a standalone basis and does not share vessel slots with other ocean carriers under a formal global alliance. Direct customer contact is available via +44 1622 870 870 or the carrier's web portal at africaexpressline.com.
Africa Express Line corridor coverage
Africa Express Line concentrates its services on Reefer, Africa-Europe. Customers on these lanes typically see weekly or twice-weekly sailings depending on season and trade balance. For a current sailing schedule, contact the carrier directly or consult its weekly schedule publication.
How to track a Africa Express Line container
Tracking a Africa Express Line container starts with confirming the prefix. Look at the container's left-hand corner casting plate or the painted code on the door — the four-letter ISO 6346 owner code is followed by six numeric digits and a single check digit. Blue Water Facts no longer publishes a per-carrier owner-prefix list (see /accuracy/ for why); confirm the operator via the carrier's own tracking portal or your bill of lading. Visit africaexpressline.com, navigate to the carrier's tracking or "track and trace" portal, and paste the full container number. The portal will return current vessel position, the next scheduled port call, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) and the most recent equipment events such as gate-in, loaded, discharged and gate-out.
If the carrier portal does not return a result, the most likely causes are: the container has not yet been gate-in at the origin terminal, the bill of lading number is in a different format (check whether the system expects an MBL versus an HBL), or the box is moving on a partner alliance vessel rather than a Africa Express Line hull. In the last case, the schedule data lives with the operating carrier, not the equipment owner. Africa Express Line's customer service can normally cross-reference the booking and route you to the correct alliance partner. Reach the carrier on +44 1622 870 870 during European business hours.
Related ocean carriers
Operators most often compared with Africa Express Line on overlapping trade lanes:
- Borchard Lines — London, UK, founded 1933. SCAC BORD.
- Ellerman City Liners — London, UK, founded 2021. SCAC ELCS.
- Geest Line — Wolverhampton, UK, founded 1937. SCAC GEES.
- Global Ship Lease — London, UK, founded 2007. SCAC GSLU.
- P&O Ferries Cargo — Dover, UK, founded 1837. SCAC PROF.
- V.Group — Glasgow, UK, founded 1984. SCAC VGRP.