Home / Logistics Knowledge / ETD: Estimated Time of Departure
ETD stands for estimated time of departure: the date and time a carrier plans to sail a vessel out of the port of loading. It is the number you work back from when arranging trucking, export clearance, insurance, and delivery promises. It is a forecast, not a commitment.
ETD comes from the vessel schedule and the booking confirmation. Everything upstream in your shipment planning hangs off it.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| ETD | Estimated Time of Departure | Planned sailing from the port of loading |
| ATD | Actual Time of Departure | Recorded once the vessel has sailed |
| ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival | Planned arrival at the port of discharge |
| ATA | Actual Time of Arrival | Recorded once the vessel has berthed |
A shipment moves through all four. A carrier's tracking page starts with estimates and swaps them for actuals as the voyage progresses. When a status changes from estimated to recorded, the actual time has been entered.
The same voyage can show different ETDs on the public schedule and on your booking confirmation. Three things cause it: schedules are republished as rotations change, carriers use different terminals for the same port, and voyage plans are revised.
| Situation | Why it happens | Which one to trust |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule differs from booking confirmation | Rotation change or terminal switch | The booking confirmation and the carrier's current notice |
| Two ETDs for the same voyage | Terminal switch or congestion pushing the call later | The carrier's current notice |
| ETD differs from actual sailing | Weather, congestion, vessel allocation | ATD, because the credit tests against the loading date |
| Transit port ETA versus final ETA | A connecting vessel has to be met | The final destination ETA for customer promises |
A credit specifies a latest shipment date, and banks test it against the date on the bill of lading, not against ETD. If ETD has slipped past that date, no amount of early booking helps: the credit has to be amended or the cargo moved to an earlier vessel.
| Situation | What to do | Cost and risk |
|---|---|---|
| ETD after the latest shipment date | Re-book an earlier voyage or amend the credit | Earlier space may not exist; an amendment needs the issuing bank |
| ETD close to the latest shipment date | Stuff early and watch the ATD | The date can still slip |
| Loaded, but ATD after the latest shipment date | The bill of lading date decides | A late bill of lading date is a discrepancy |
| Expected delay of several days | Tell the buyer early and agree an extension | The buyer may ask for a price adjustment |
Estimated Time of Departure: the date and time a carrier plans to sail the vessel from the port of loading. It comes from the vessel schedule and the booking confirmation, and it is a forecast rather than a commitment.
ETD is the planned sailing from the origin port; ETA is the planned arrival at the destination port. They are a full voyage apart, which is why shippers watch ETD and buyers watch ETA.
ATD is the actual time of departure, recorded once the vessel has sailed. ATA is the actual time of arrival at the destination. Carriers post these once the events happen, replacing the estimates on their tracking pages.
It is an estimate. Congestion, weather closures, vessel allocation, and delays carried from the previous port can push the actual sailing back by several days. Build buffer into any delivery promise or credit deadline that depends on it.
Normally not. Carrier liability is limited by the bill of lading terms and international conventions, and most schedule delays fall outside it. Re-booking costs caused by late cargo or incomplete documents sit with the shipper.
The actual loading date, as shown by the bill of lading date. ETD only tells you in advance whether you are likely to make the latest shipment date. A later bill of lading date is a discrepancy.
Work backwards. Confirm the cut-offs, derive the declaration date from the loading requirement with examination time allowed, then set the container pick-up and stuffing dates, and keep two to three days of buffer across the chain.
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