Introduction
What is this feature?
Qargo now supports the generation of two new document types for intermodal transport: the House Manifest and the Shipping Manifest. These documents are generated directly from bookings linked to a voyage departure on the intermodal planning board.
Why was it introduced?
Intermodal operators managing container shipments via ship or train need to produce manifest documents for shipping companies, port authorities, and internal records. Previously, this information had to be compiled manually outside of Qargo — a time-consuming and error-prone process. This feature is part of the broader intermodal planning suite, which enables grouping multiple container trips on a single departure and managing bookings at scale.
How does it work?
Once bookings are assigned to a voyage departure on the intermodal planning board, the manifest documents can be generated for selected bookings. The system pulls booking, order, equipment, goods, and customs data automatically, producing a formatted document ready for distribution to shipping companies or for internal use.
Terminology
Term | Definition |
House Manifest | A detailed document listing all bookings on a voyage departure, including equipment, shipper, consignee, goods descriptions, weights, and customs information. Used for internal records and port authorities. |
Shipping Manifest | A condensed version of the manifest sent to shipping companies (ocean carriers). Also used for reporting Verified Gross Mass (VGM). Contains a subset of the house manifest data. |
Voyage | A scheduled departure of a ship or train on a defined route. Voyages are registered via voyage schedules and are visible system-wide across all site offices. |
Booking | A reservation linking a container or trailer to a specific intermodal departure. Each booking is associated with one or more orders. |
Intermodal Connection | A transport leg that uses a ship, train, or ferry to move goods between two locations (e.g., port to port). |
VGM (Verified Gross Mass) | The certified total weight of a packed container, required by shipping companies before loading. |
POL / POD | Port of Loading and Port of Discharge — the origin and destination ports for the intermodal sea or rail leg. |
Customs Status | The export declaration type for the shipment (e.g., EX1 for EU export declarations). |
Tariff Code (HS Code) | A standardised international code classifying the type of goods being shipped (e.g., 4819 for paper/cardboard containers). |
Relationship to the Intermodal Planning Board
The manifest generation feature is the document generation component of the broader intermodal planning functionality.
The intermodal planning board provides an overview of departures and allows bookings to be managed across voyages — including drag-and-drop assignment of orders to departures and capacity warnings when container or trailer limits are exceeded.
Once bookings are assigned to a departure, manifest documents can be generated to summarise the cargo details for that voyage. This eliminates the need to compile shipping documentation separately.
House Manifest
The House Manifest is the most detailed manifest document available. It consolidates all booking and cargo information for a given voyage departure into a single structured report.
Data Included
The house manifest contains the following information for each booking:
Booking reference and order number
Ferry/shipping operator name
Equipment details: container type, container number, seal number, and redelivery address
Shipper: the customer associated with the booking
Consignee: the delivery location or receiving party
Notify party (if applicable)
Goods description: a summary of goods across all orders in the booking
Weight and volume totals
Customs status: the export declaration type (e.g., EX1)
Tariff code: the HS code classifying the goods
Unload reference and required delivery date
Shipping Manifest
The Shipping Manifest is a condensed version of the house manifest, intended for distribution to shipping companies and ocean carriers. It contains a subset of the house manifest data focused on the information required for vessel loading and VGM reporting.
This document replaces the previous manual process of reporting VGM data via external links provided by the carrier.
Generating a Manifest
Step 1: Assign Bookings to a Departure
NAVIGATE to the Intermodal Planning Board.
SELECT a departure from the departures table at the top of the board — this highlights the departure and filters the bookings table below to show only relevant bookings.
VERIFY that all intended bookings are assigned to the departure. Orders or bookings can be dragged from the lower table to a departure if not yet assigned.
Step 2: Generate the Document
SELECT the bookings to include in the manifest.
CLICK the generate document option and choose the desired document type: House Manifest or Shipping Manifest.
The system will compile all relevant booking, order, equipment, and goods data into the selected manifest format.
Step 3: Review and Distribute
REVIEW the generated manifest for accuracy — verify booking references, container details, weights, and customs information.
DISTRIBUTE the document as needed: the shipping manifest is typically sent to the ocean carrier, while the house manifest is retained for internal use or shared with port authorities.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Solution |
The manifest is empty or missing bookings | Verify that bookings are properly assigned to the selected departure on the intermodal planning board. Only bookings linked to the departure will be included. |
Goods information or weights are missing | Ensure that order-level goods data (descriptions, weights, volumes) is populated. The manifest pulls this information from the goods list across all orders in each booking. |
Customs status or tariff code fields are blank | These fields must be entered on the relevant order or consignment. If not populated, they will appear empty on the manifest. |
The shipping manifest does not include all columns shown on the house manifest | This is expected. The shipping manifest is a condensed document containing only the subset of data required by shipping companies. |
Spacing or readability issues in the manifest header | Header formatting (POL, POD, voyage, carrier) has been improved with additional spacing for readability. Refresh or regenerate the document if viewing an older cached version. |