ContainerPulse Liner intelligence
Match the 4-letter prefix on any container to its operator in our liner registry of 200+ carriers.

Samskip

SCAC SAMS · Rotterdam, Netherlands · founded 1990 · Independent / non-aligned

Samskip (legal entity Samskip Multimodal B.V.) is a regional specialist headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1990, the line has spent 36 years building out its container service network and today operates a fleet of 30 vessels under the SCAC code SAMS. Total operated capacity stands near 22,000 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.

Samskip is most active on the following corridors: Multimodal Europe, North Atlantic, Iceland. 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 +31 88 400 1000 or the carrier's web portal at samskip.com.

Samskip 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. Samskip 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 Samskip.

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. Samskip publishes its tracking page under the main samskip.com domain.

Samskip corridor coverage

Samskip concentrates its services on Multimodal Europe, North Atlantic, Iceland. 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 Samskip container

Tracking a Samskip 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. SAMU) 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 Samskip bill of lading. Visit samskip.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 Samskip hull. In the last case, the prefix still resolves to Samskip as equipment owner but the schedule data lives with the operating carrier. Samskip's customer service can normally cross-reference the booking and route you to the correct alliance partner. Reach the carrier on +31 88 400 1000 during European business hours.

Related ocean carriers

Operators most often compared with Samskip on overlapping trade lanes: