A vessel arriving at port does not necessarily mean its containers are ready to move.
Between discharge and collection, individual containers can pass through several important events. They may be waiting for release, Customs or Ministry for Primary Industries clearance, truck collection, gate movements, or loading onto another vessel.
For freight forwarders, knowing exactly where each container stands within that process can directly influence when transport should be arranged and whether unnecessary waiting, storage, or demurrage costs can be avoided.
On 1 October 2026, WiseTech Global and PortConnect announced a direct data integration that brings more detailed New Zealand port container event information into CargoWise.
The integration adds 30 different types of container event data, giving CargoWise users a more granular view of what is happening between the quayside and landside, and providing information that can help teams plan container movements around what is actually happening at the port.
Why Vessel-Level Information does not Tell the Whole Story?
Incoming container information from carriers is typically available at the vessel level.
That tells logistics teams something important: where the vessel is and what is happening with the voyage.
But once the vessel reaches port, the operational question changes.
What is happening with the individual container?
One container may already have been discharged and released. Another may still require Customs clearance. A third may be waiting for Ministry for Primary Industries clearance.
For the team organising the next transport movement, these differences matter.
Sending a truck before the container is actually available can create an inefficient movement. Waiting too long after it becomes available can increase the risk of storage charges and demurrage.
This is the information gap the PortConnect integration is designed to address.
What is PortConnect Bringing into CargoWise?
PortConnect is New Zealand’s port community system, jointly owned by the Port of Auckland and Port of Tauranga.
It provides a common digital access point for shipping lines, transporters, importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and regulatory authorities interacting with participating New Zealand ports.
Its network includes Northport, Port of Auckland, Port of Tauranga, Lyttelton Port Company, CentrePort Wellington, and Timaru Container Terminal, together with their inland ports.
Through the new integration, PortConnect pushes container event updates directly into CargoWise.
Rather than relying only on broader vessel information, CargoWise users can receive more detailed events relating to individual containers.
These include events such as:
- Container discharge from the vessel
- Container release and availability
- Customs clearance status
- Ministry for Primary Industries clearance status
- Truck gate-in
- Truck gate-out
- Loading onto a departing vessel
As these events occur, PortConnect updates the container status within CargoWise.
That means vessel schedules and individual container events can be viewed together within the logistics execution environment.
From “The Vessel Has Arrived” to “The Container is Ready”
That distinction can make a meaningful difference to landside planning.
Imagine an import container has arrived at port.
The vessel arrival is visible, but the container has not yet been released.
If the landside team plans transport based primarily on the vessel milestone, the truck movement may not align with the actual availability of the container.
More granular container events provide another layer of operational context.
Teams can better understand whether a container has been discharged, whether relevant clearance has occurred, whether it is available for collection, and when gate movements take place.
Instead of treating vessel arrival as the main signal for the next action, freight forwarders can plan around the status of the individual container.
How can this Help Reduce Demurrage Risk?
One of the practical applications highlighted by WiseTech is planning around a container’s Last Free Day of storage.
Containers remaining at a terminal beyond their free storage period can generate additional charges.
Avoiding those costs requires teams to know not only that cargo has arrived, but also when the container becomes available and what needs to happen before it can leave the port.
By bringing more detailed port events into CargoWise, freight forwarders can use that information when planning quayside-to-landside movements.
The objective is to reduce the risk of delays and inefficient truck movements while giving teams better information for acting before free-time windows are missed.
PortConnect: Better Collaboration Starts with Shared Data
For PortConnect, the integration is fundamentally about improving how information moves between the organisations involved in New Zealand’s container supply chain.
David Knowles, Customer Relationship Manager at PortConnect, explained that PortConnect was created to support collaboration across the port community through better data sharing and connectivity.
He highlighted that connecting PortConnect with CargoWise brings vessel and container information together, helping customers manage landside movements more efficiently as part of the wider supply chain.
That point is particularly relevant in a port environment.
A container movement does not belong to one organisation alone.
Ports, terminals, carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, transporters, importers, exporters, and government authorities can all influence what happens before a container completes its journey through the port.
When those parties operate with disconnected information, coordination becomes more difficult.
Shared event data can help close some of those information gaps.
WiseTech: Every Port Movement can Affect What Happens Next
Stuart Hayman, Head of Carrier Integration and Transformation at WiseTech Global, highlighted the number of parties involved in the port environment, from freight forwarders and customs brokers to terminals, shipping lines, importers, exporters, and road and rail transport providers.
His key point is that each movement can affect the downstream supply chain.
By integrating PortConnect event information into CargoWise, container events can be considered alongside vessel schedules.
According to Hayman, this gives freight forwarders using CargoWise access to near real-time information within the port environment, helping them plan and execute transport movements more efficiently while reducing costs associated with delays and demurrage.
Why does this Matter for Freight Forwarders?
The integration is not simply about adding more tracking events.
Its value comes from making those events available where logistics teams are already managing the shipment.
A container’s journey from vessel to final inland destination involves several operational decisions.
When should transport be arranged?
Has the container actually been released?
Has regulatory clearance been completed?
When did the truck enter the terminal?
Has the container left the port?
How close is the shipment to its Last Free Day?
Having more of those signals available within CargoWise can give operations teams better context when deciding what should happen next.
That can help reduce unnecessary checking across separate sources while supporting more informed transport planning.
Connecting the Quayside and Landside More Closely
Ocean visibility does not end when the vessel reaches port.
For many freight forwarders, that is where another critical stage begins.
The container still needs to move through discharge, regulatory clearance, release, collection, terminal gates, and inland transport.
Each handover can affect cost, timing, and the wider shipment plan.
The CargoWise and PortConnect integration brings 30 types of container event data into that process, creating a more detailed connection between what is happening inside the port and the landside movements that follow.
For freight forwarders operating through New Zealand’s participating ports, this means the question can move beyond:
“Has the vessel arrived?”
to the more operationally useful:
“What is happening with this container, and what should we do next?”
Turn Connected CargoWise Data into Better Operational Workflows
Integrations create the most value when the information they provide becomes part of the wider operational process.
As a CargoWise Service Partner, Elicit Technology helps freight forwarders configure and optimise CargoWise around their operational requirements, including integrations, workflows, forwarding processes, automation, and visibility.
As CargoWise continues to bring more external logistics data into the platform, businesses have an opportunity to review how that information can support the people responsible for planning and executing shipments.
Better data provides visibility. The right CargoWise setup helps turn that visibility into action.
