Your freight forwarder or steamship line sends an arrival notice when your container is about to discharge at Port Miami or Port Everglades. Most importers glance at it and forward it to their carrier. That's a mistake. This document sets the terms for every charge you'll pay from the moment the ship ties up — and the details matter.
What an Arrival Notice Actually Is
An arrival notice (sometimes called a freight arrival notice or cargo arrival notice) is a document issued by the ocean carrier or their agent notifying the consignee that their cargo is inbound and will be available at the terminal. It's not a release document — you can't pick up cargo with it alone. It's an advance alert that triggers your planning window.
At Port Miami, you typically receive the arrival notice 3–7 days before the vessel docks. At Port Everglades, the window is similar. The notice starts a countdown: free time begins running from the day the container is discharged and available, not from when you receive the notice.
Key Fields and What They Mean
Free Time: The Most Important Number
Free time is the window during which your container can sit at the port without storage charges. After free time expires, demurrage starts — and demurrage at Port Miami runs $150 to $400 per day, escalating in weekly tiers.
Most steamship lines give 3–5 calendar days of free time on import containers at Port Miami. Some lines offer more for preferred customers. Some offer less during peak season. The arrival notice will state the free time period, or you can confirm it with the steamship line's customer service desk using your B/L number.
Free time typically begins on the day the container is available for pickup — not the day the vessel arrives. If a ship docks Monday but customs isn't cleared until Wednesday, your free time starts Wednesday. This distinction matters when you're planning pickup timing.
A few lines count free time from date of discharge rather than date available. If your container goes on exam hold and customs delays it, you may burn through free time before you're legally allowed to pick it up. That's a demurrage dispute worth making — carriers generally negotiate or waive charges caused by government-imposed holds outside your control. The article on CBP container exam holds covers this in detail.
Vessel ETA vs. Available Date
The arrival notice shows an ETA — when the vessel is expected to arrive at port. This is not the same as when your container will be available for pickup.
After a vessel arrives, it takes time to discharge. A large vessel at Port Miami carrying 8,000–15,000 TEUs takes 2–4 days to fully offload. Your container may be in the bottom of the stack, discharged on day three. After discharge, the terminal needs to confirm the container is on the ground, available, and has no holds before your carrier can schedule a gate appointment.
Check the terminal system directly — e-Modal for Port Miami appointments, PortPortal for Port Everglades — to see real-time availability status. Terminal websites and shipping line portals update faster than most forwarders do.
Reading the Pickup Location
The arrival notice specifies where the container will be located for pickup. This isn't always the main terminal — containers sometimes get moved to a CFS (container freight station) or an off-dock yard if the terminal is congested.
For Port Miami, the primary cargo terminal is at Dodge Island. Carriers need a terminal appointment through e-Modal. Container number, booking reference, and trucking company MC number are required at check-in. Your drayage company handles this, but knowing the location helps you ask the right questions if something goes wrong.
If the arrival notice shows a different location than expected — especially an off-port CFS address — confirm with your freight forwarder before scheduling pickup. Moving cargo to a CFS adds handling charges and can extend your total logistics timeline by 1–2 days.
Holds and Flags to Spot
The arrival notice may note holds that will prevent pickup even after the container is discharged and available. Some holds are noted directly on the document; others appear in the terminal system and won't show on the paper notice at all. Your customs broker should be monitoring these.
- Customs hold: CBP has flagged the shipment for exam — either VACIS (non-intrusive imaging), tailgate, or intensive. Your broker gets the exam notice; you can't pick up until CBP releases the container. See the CBP exam article for typical timelines.
- Freight hold: Unpaid ocean freight or fees. The steamship line won't release the container until the balance is settled. Confirm with your forwarder if you're on a collect billing arrangement.
- ISF hold: The Importer Security Filing (10+2) was late, incomplete, or flagged. CBP can issue a penalty and hold cargo. Your customs broker handles this, but it delays pickup.
- USDA/FDA hold: Agricultural products, food, and some consumer goods require USDA or FDA inspection at Port Miami. These agencies have offices at Dodge Island. Holds can run 1–5 days depending on exam type and staffing.
- Fumigation hold: Containers arriving from certain origins with wood packaging material may require phytosanitary treatment before release. The fumigation article covers what triggers these and typical wait times.
If you see any hold notation on the arrival notice — or if the terminal system shows a hold when your broker checks — resolve it immediately. Every hold day is a potential demurrage day, and some holds take 24–48 hours to clear even after the underlying issue is resolved.
What to Do When It Arrives
When the arrival notice hits your inbox, go through this sequence rather than forwarding it and waiting:
- Verify the container number and B/L. Cross-check against your packing list and commercial invoice. A mismatch anywhere creates gate problems.
- Calculate your last free day. Add the free time days to the available date (not the ETA). Mark it in your calendar. Set a reminder two days before.
- Check for holds immediately. Call your customs broker or log into the terminal system. Don't assume a clean notice means a clean hold status — holds in the terminal system may not appear on the paper notice.
- Confirm customs is filed. If entry hasn't been filed, your broker should file as soon as the vessel arrives. CBP needs time to review and release. Same-day filing on arrival day gives you the best chance of staying inside free time.
- Notify your drayage carrier with pickup details. Send them the container number, terminal, estimated available date, and last free day. They'll monitor the terminal system and book the appointment when the container becomes available.
- Confirm your warehouse appointment. Contact your delivery destination to set or confirm a delivery appointment. Warehouse backlogs in Doral and Hialeah can run 2–4 days. If your last free day is tight, you need that appointment confirmed before the container even arrives.
Importers who treat the arrival notice as an FYI and let their broker handle everything often get surprised by demurrage charges that were avoidable. The document is short, the fields are readable, and spending five minutes on it when it arrives can save real money on the back end.
If you're new to importing through Miami, the first container import checklist walks through the full process from purchase order to delivery.