What to Do When Your Shipment Is Delayed or Lost
If this is the first time that you have imported goods into Ireland, it makes sense that you would have some trepidation. With sea freight, air freight, or any wait for goods being imported, there is always the chance of a slight delay, but the vast majority are resolved with care, professionalism, and speed.
Working with a reputable Irish freight forwarder ensures that your goods are looked after at every stage of the journey. If any delays occur, you’ll be updated and provided the information you need to give you peace of mind.
Step 1 — Check your tracking and shipment status
When goods are delayed the first thing that you should do is check your tracking and shipment status. Your sea freight forwarder will provide you with the details you need to check on your specific consignment and shipment. Sea shipment tracking allows you to monitor your cargo in real time. You can do this using a container number, which contains 4 letters and 7 numbers, the Bill of Lading, or the booking number that you have been provided.
This should provide you with key information about your shipment, including the latest location updates, estimated arrival times, and the journey history. That way, you can see where your shipment has been so far and when you can expect it to arrive at its destination. If you can’t find the specific information for your shipment or it is significantly delayed, the next step is to escalate the issue further.
Step 2 — Contact your freight forwarder immediately
If your imported goods into Ireland are lost or heavily delayed, and you using the tracking and shipment tools at your disposal hasn’t helped, the next step is to contact your freight forwarder. Emerald Freight is always happy to help our customers, at every stage of the journey. When you first come to us with a planned shipment, whether it’s for an import into Ireland or to export to another country, our experts will ensure that you choose the best option to suit your needs. We’ve got a trusted global network of logistics solutions that allow us to place your goods with the most effective choice of transportation, whether that is by road, sea, or air. We have tracking tools in place and communication with providers and different areas of the journey to ensure that we know where your goods are and what could be causing any delays.
Step 3 — Identify the likely cause of delay
Delays in sea freight are incredibly frustrating for everyone involved, but no more so than for you, the person or business waiting for the shipment to arrive. Importing goods into Ireland or exporting abroad brings with it different challenges.
Customs holds and documentation issues
If goods are selected for a customs intervention, additional documentation such as an order confirmation or an invoice may be requested, and if there is insufficient documentation in these cases, the goods may be returned to the sender. This would cause significant delays.
Port congestion and vessel schedule changes
Congestion can build quickly in ports due to vessel bunching, shortages of labour on site, equipment availability, and of course, weather disruption. Changes to vessel schedules can also have a knock-on effect, causing problems throughout the supply chain leading to delays in berthing vessels, unloading containers, and ensuring smooth onward transit.
Carrier errors and misdirected freight
Missed pickup of goods or freight that has been sent to the wrong destination or mishandled, causes greater delays to shipments. Wherever there are different stages of manual handling and information processes there is the possibility of human error.
Step 4 — Gather your documents Include a checklist
Bring together all your documentation, as this is crucial to resolve any delays, especially if there are problems with customs clearance or you need to move forward with insurance issues.
Make sure that you have:
- Commercial invoice with clear product descriptions, value of each item and incoterms.
- A packing list that includes accurate weights, dimensions, and number of packages.
- Certificates & licenses where required, such as for medical goods, chemicals, and food shipments.
- Accurate HS Codes to classify goods for duty and tax.
- EORI number to identify the importer/exporter as registered and validated.
This is a good start to move forward with locating your missing shipment.
Step 5 — When to declare a shipment lost
You should typically declare a shipment delayed when it hasn’t arrived at its designated destination within a reasonable timeframe, which could be a week or two past the expected delivery date. If a shipment is this far delayed, the next step would be to seek assistance in finding out exactly where it is, using the tracking tools that you have been provided or waiting for specific information from your freight forwarder. If the tracking tools fail to find the specific shipment and/or it hasn’t arrived with the rest of a shipment on a specific vessel, it may have been lost. Depending on the service and the carrier you should then declare the goods lost between 7 and 30 days after the expected delivery date.
Step 6 — How to file a freight claim
If your freight is missing or your items arrive at the destination damaged or broken, you must notify us as soon as possible. Steps to make a freight claim include:
- Inspect the shipment upon delivery – check for visible damage to outer packaging, cross reference the count of delivered items with original order.
- Document the issue – put together the bill of lading, delivery receipt, photographic evidence, packing slip, freight invoice, and carrier inspection report.
- Notify the carrier – timing is important. Freight claims must be submitted within the first 72 hours of delivery. Anything after that will not be considered valid.
- Filling the claim – once you have all documentation and supporting evidence, submit the freight claim through your carrier. Once submitted, check in with us to be sure it has been processed.
Does cargo insurance cover delayed or lost shipments?
What is Cargo Insurance? Insurance that generally protects shipments from loss, damage or theft while in transit. This coverage is beyond basic claims insurance that may be provided and it will reimburse for the designated value of the goods if a covered event occurs while the freight is in transit.
Shipping insurance reimburses you if a package is lost, stolen, or damaged while in transit. Depending on the provider, it may cover additional scenarios such as mishandling, delays, or failed delivery attempts. Coverage varies by carrier or third-party policy.
How to reduce the risk of future delays
Understanding the specific rules and required documentation for customs clearance in Ireland goes a long way to determining the smooth journey for goods being exported out of and imported into Ireland. Working with an experienced freight forwarding team such as ours ensures that all documentation and processes are planned for extensively. Routes are planned out well in advance, and we’ll always pair you with the best choice of transportation, whether that’s by air, sea, or road. That way, there are minimal delays expected. If there is an unforeseen delay that can’t be helped, our team are on the ball to step in, locate and analyse the problem, and offer a solution as quickly as possible. We’ll remain in contact with you throughout, as this is vital.
How Emerald Freight handles delays on your behalf
If this is your first time importing by sea, utilising the experience of a specialist freight forwarding team like Emerald Freight will put your mind at ease. Delays can happen, and that’s why we are thorough with every stage of the process when you are importing or exporting goods to and from Ireland. We work with a trusted global network of logistics suppliers, ensuring that the planning stage of your shipment is as extensive as possible. This gives us the safety net and experience to know that your shipment will most likely reach its destination on time.
Below are some common questions we are asked about delayed or lost shipments.
There are several reasons a shipment might be delayed, including mishandled or missing documentation, port congestion, weather events, or misdirected cargo.
Typically, a shipment is delayed if it is 1-2 weeks later than the expected delivery date.
If there are any delays, for any reason, our team has the communication tools and real-time tracking data to ensure we know exactly what has gone wrong, where, and when. That way we can keep you fully informed at every stage of proceedings and put in place measures to find a satisfactory solution to get your goods where they need to be, as quickly and securely as possible.
Through an extensive planning stage, utilising a network of trusted global logistics solutions to ensure every avenue is covered and delays are minimised.
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