Pacific Direct Line
Pacific Direct Line (legal entity Pacific Direct Line Ltd.) is a niche operator headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 1995, the line has spent 31 years building out its container service network and today operates a fleet of 5 vessels under the SCAC code PDLI. Total operated capacity stands near 3,500 TEU, placing the carrier among the recognised operators on its core trade lanes.
Pacific Direct Line is most active on the following corridors: Pacific Islands, NZ-Pacific. 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 +64 9 309 4900 or the carrier's web portal at pdl.co.nz.
Pacific Direct Line corridor coverage
Pacific Direct Line concentrates its services on Pacific Islands, NZ-Pacific. 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 Pacific Direct Line container
Tracking a Pacific Direct 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 pdl.co.nz, 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 Pacific Direct Line hull. In the last case, the schedule data lives with the operating carrier, not the equipment owner. Pacific Direct Line's customer service can normally cross-reference the booking and route you to the correct alliance partner. Reach the carrier on +64 9 309 4900 during European business hours.
Related ocean carriers
Operators most often compared with Pacific Direct Line on overlapping trade lanes:
- Neptune Pacific Direct Line — Auckland, New Zealand, founded 1976. SCAC NPDL.
- Sofrana Lines — Auckland, New Zealand, founded 1976. SCAC SOFR.