European Shipping Line
European Shipping Line (legal entity European Shipping Line GmbH) is a niche operator headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 2010, the line has spent 16 years building out its container service network and today operates a fleet of 4 vessels under the SCAC code ESLU. Total operated capacity stands near 4,500 TEU, placing the carrier among the recognised operators on its core trade lanes. The company holds intermodal equipment under 3 registered ISO 6346 owner prefixes, which appear on every box it owns or long-term leases.
European Shipping Line is most active on the following corridors: Mediterranean, North Africa. 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 +49 40 380 880 0 or the carrier's web portal at europeanshippingline.com.
European Shipping Line container prefixes
Every intermodal container carries an ISO 6346 owner code — three letters identifying the owner, plus a single category letter (almost always U for freight containers). These four-letter prefixes are the fastest way to identify which carrier controls a given box. European Shipping Line has the following registered prefixes recorded in the BIC database. If a container in your possession begins with any of these codes, the box is owned by or leased on long term to European Shipping Line.
ESLUESLNESLG
To track a container under one of these prefixes, contact the carrier directly using the bill-of-lading number or container number. Most ocean carriers expose a public tracking endpoint on their website that accepts either format. European Shipping Line publishes its tracking page under the main europeanshippingline.com domain.
European Shipping Line corridor coverage
European Shipping Line concentrates its services on Mediterranean, North Africa. 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 European Shipping Line container
Tracking a European Shipping 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 (e.g. ESLU) is followed by six numeric digits and a single check digit. If the prefix matches one in the list above, the box is on a European Shipping Line bill of lading. Visit europeanshippingline.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 European Shipping Line hull. In the last case, the prefix still resolves to European Shipping Line as equipment owner but the schedule data lives with the operating carrier. European Shipping Line's customer service can normally cross-reference the booking and route you to the correct alliance partner. Reach the carrier on +49 40 380 880 0 during European business hours.
Related ocean carriers
Operators most often compared with European Shipping Line on overlapping trade lanes:
- Hapag-Lloyd — Hamburg, Germany, founded 1970. SCAC HLCU.
- Rickmers Linie — Hamburg, Germany, founded 1834. SCAC RICK.
- BBC Chartering — Leer, Germany, founded 1997. SCAC BBCH.
- Team Lines — Hamburg, Germany, founded 1991. SCAC TLLU.
- Sloman Neptun — Bremen, Germany, founded 1873. SCAC SLNE.
- Leschaco — Bremen, Germany, founded 1879. SCAC LSCH.