8 prefixes · shipping line
MSC container prefixes
Track on msc.com — official MSC tracker
Full MSC container tracking guide →
MSCU, MEDU, MSDU, MSMU, MSNU, MSPU, MSYU and GTIU are the BIC owner prefixes registered to MSC. A container number that starts with any of them belongs to the MSC fleet and is tracked free at msc.com. The eleventh character of the number is a check digit; it is worked out below for each prefix.
MSC, the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company, runs the largest container fleet on the planet — over 800 vessels. Family-owned since 1970, it overtook Maersk for the #1 spot in 2022 and kept buying ships.
A fleet that size burns through serial numbers fast, which is why MSC registers eight owner codes; MSCU and MEDU carry most of the volume, with the rest of the family filling specialised pools.
4 letters + 7 digits, printed on the doors. It is on your bill of lading too.
The answer appears as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.
All 8 MSC prefixes
| Prefix | A valid number | Check digit | Where the code comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
MSCU | MSCU 436112-1 | 1 | — |
MEDU | MEDU 186787-4 | 4 | — |
MSDU | MSDU 466031-6 | 6 | — |
MSMU | MSMU 735302-7 | 7 | — |
MSNU | MSNU 765221-1 | 1 | — |
MSPU | MSPU 825059-6 | 6 | — |
MSYU | MSYU 094330-6 | 6 | — |
GTIU | GTIU 575734-6 | 6 | GTIU is often mislabelled as an independent leasing code, but the BIC register places it with MSC’s fleet. |
Prefix register verified against two independent sources on 2026-08-03. The example numbers are computed to show the arithmetic. They are valid by construction, not numbers we saw on a box.
Data: BIC Container Prefix Register · ISO 6346:2022
MSCU: check digit, worked through
MSCU is registered to MSC. Take MSCU 436112-1: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 1.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
C | 13 | ×4 | 52 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
4 | 4 | ×16 | 64 |
3 | 3 | ×32 | 96 |
6 | 6 | ×64 | 384 |
1 | 1 | ×128 | 128 |
1 | 1 | ×256 | 256 |
2 | 2 | ×512 | 1024 |
Sum 2344 → 2344 mod 11 = 1 → check digit 1 → MSCU 436112-1
MEDU: check digit, worked through
MEDU is registered to MSC. Take MEDU 186787-4: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 4.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
E | 15 | ×2 | 30 |
D | 14 | ×4 | 56 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
1 | 1 | ×16 | 16 |
8 | 8 | ×32 | 256 |
6 | 6 | ×64 | 384 |
7 | 7 | ×128 | 896 |
8 | 8 | ×256 | 2048 |
7 | 7 | ×512 | 3584 |
Sum 7550 → 7550 mod 11 = 4 → check digit 4 → MEDU 186787-4
MSDU: check digit, worked through
MSDU is registered to MSC. Take MSDU 466031-6: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 6.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
D | 14 | ×4 | 56 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
4 | 4 | ×16 | 64 |
6 | 6 | ×32 | 192 |
6 | 6 | ×64 | 384 |
0 | 0 | ×128 | 0 |
3 | 3 | ×256 | 768 |
1 | 1 | ×512 | 512 |
Sum 2316 → 2316 mod 11 = 6 → check digit 6 → MSDU 466031-6
MSMU: check digit, worked through
MSMU is registered to MSC. Take MSMU 735302-7: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 7.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
M | 24 | ×4 | 96 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
7 | 7 | ×16 | 112 |
3 | 3 | ×32 | 96 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
3 | 3 | ×128 | 384 |
0 | 0 | ×256 | 0 |
2 | 2 | ×512 | 1024 |
Sum 2372 → 2372 mod 11 = 7 → check digit 7 → MSMU 735302-7
MSNU: check digit, worked through
MSNU is registered to MSC. Take MSNU 765221-1: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 1.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
N | 25 | ×4 | 100 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
7 | 7 | ×16 | 112 |
6 | 6 | ×32 | 192 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
2 | 2 | ×128 | 256 |
2 | 2 | ×256 | 512 |
1 | 1 | ×512 | 512 |
Sum 2344 → 2344 mod 11 = 1 → check digit 1 → MSNU 765221-1
MSPU: check digit, worked through
MSPU is registered to MSC. Take MSPU 825059-6: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 6.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
P | 27 | ×4 | 108 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
8 | 8 | ×16 | 128 |
2 | 2 | ×32 | 64 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
0 | 0 | ×128 | 0 |
5 | 5 | ×256 | 1280 |
9 | 9 | ×512 | 4608 |
Sum 6848 → 6848 mod 11 = 6 → check digit 6 → MSPU 825059-6
MSYU: check digit, worked through
MSYU is registered to MSC. Take MSYU 094330-6: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 6.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 24 | ×1 | 24 |
S | 30 | ×2 | 60 |
Y | 37 | ×4 | 148 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
0 | 0 | ×16 | 0 |
9 | 9 | ×32 | 288 |
4 | 4 | ×64 | 256 |
3 | 3 | ×128 | 384 |
3 | 3 | ×256 | 768 |
0 | 0 | ×512 | 0 |
Sum 2184 → 2184 mod 11 = 6 → check digit 6 → MSYU 094330-6
GTIU: check digit, worked through
GTIU is registered to MSC. Take GTIU 575734-6: each of its first ten characters has a value and a weight, the products are added, and the remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit — here 6.
GTIU is often mislabelled as an independent leasing code, but the BIC register places it with MSC’s fleet.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
G | 17 | ×1 | 17 |
T | 31 | ×2 | 62 |
I | 19 | ×4 | 76 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
5 | 5 | ×16 | 80 |
7 | 7 | ×32 | 224 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
7 | 7 | ×128 | 896 |
3 | 3 | ×256 | 768 |
4 | 4 | ×512 | 2048 |
Sum 4747 → 4747 mod 11 = 6 → check digit 6 → GTIU 575734-6
Tracking a MSC container
The tracker at msc.com ignores a number passed in the link, which we confirmed in a browser. Open it and paste the number into the form.
| Container number | ✓ yes |
|---|---|
| Bill of lading (B/L) | ✓ yes |
| Booking reference | ✓ yes |
| Mobile app | ✓ yes |
| Pre-filled link | — tried it: the page ignores a number in the link |
| Its bill of lading starts with | MEDU |
Browser-verified 2026-08-03
Can you see where the ship is?
Not from the container. A standard dry box has no power, no radio and no satellite receiver — it is a steel case with a number painted on it, and it reports nothing about itself. Every position you see against a MSC shipment was reported by something else: a terminal crane, a gate reader, or the ship.
A live map on a carrier’s tracking page is almost always plotting AIS, the transponder every large vessel broadcasts with its position, course and speed. That is genuinely useful at sea: it is a real position rather than a schedule, and an ETA recalculated from actual movement. It is also the ship’s position, not your box’s, and the two part company the moment the container is discharged.
On land the map goes quiet. Between the gate-out and the delivery there is no vessel to follow, and the road leg appears only as whatever events the terminal and the trucker report. A container sitting on a chassis in a yard shows the last position of a ship it left days ago. Only specialised IoT equipment reports its own location, and wherever that exists it is a paid product sold to the shipper, not something a tracking page gives away.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns MSCU, MEDU and MSDU containers?
MSC does, a shipping line founded in 1970 — the BIC register lists 8 owner prefixes under it: MSCU, MEDU, MSDU, MSMU, MSNU, MSPU, MSYU and GTIU.
How do I track a MSCU container?
Free, on the official MSC tracker at msc.com — paste the full 11-character number; no account is needed. The same tracker serves all 8 MSC prefixes.
Why does MSC have 8 prefixes?
Because one prefix holds only a million serial numbers and a fleet outgrows it — and because a line that buys another line keeps the codes painted on the boxes it bought. All 8 are tracked on the same msc.com system.
Is MSCU a shipping line prefix or a leasing prefix?
A shipping line prefix — MSC both owns the box and moves it, so the owner and the tracker are the same company.
Is MSCU4361121 a valid container number?
Yes — MSCU 436112-1 passes the ISO 6346 check: the weighted sum for MSCU436112 leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 11, which gives check digit 1. It is an example computed for this page, not a box we have seen.
One page, every owner code
Know whose box it is before you search
All 85 owner prefixes mapped to their line or leasing company, with the leased ones marked — so you can tell at a glance when to track with the line instead. Container dimensions are on page two.
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