3 prefixes · shipping line
ZIM container prefixes: ZIMU, ZCSU, ZMOU
Track on zim.com — official ZIM tracker
Full ZIM container tracking guide →
ZIMU, ZCSU and ZMOU are the BIC owner prefixes registered to ZIM. A container number that starts with any of them belongs to the ZIM fleet and is tracked free at zim.com. The eleventh character of the number is a check digit; it is worked out below for each prefix.
ZIM is Israel’s global carrier, founded in 1945 and now a NYSE-listed niche operator known for chartering rather than owning much of its fleet.
Three codes serve the ZIM pool, and zim.com’s tool accepts any of them alongside B/L numbers.
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 3 ZIM prefixes
| Prefix | A valid number | Check digit | Where the code comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
ZIMU | ZIMU 665491-8 | 8 | — |
ZCSU | ZCSU 725329-5 | 5 | — |
ZMOU | ZMOU 805113-9 | 9 | — |
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
ZIMU: check digit, worked through
ZIMU is registered to ZIM. Take ZIMU 665491-8: 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 8.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
Z | 38 | ×1 | 38 |
I | 19 | ×2 | 38 |
M | 24 | ×4 | 96 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
6 | 6 | ×16 | 96 |
6 | 6 | ×32 | 192 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
4 | 4 | ×128 | 512 |
9 | 9 | ×256 | 2304 |
1 | 1 | ×512 | 512 |
Sum 4364 → 4364 mod 11 = 8 → check digit 8 → ZIMU 665491-8
ZCSU: check digit, worked through
ZCSU is registered to ZIM. Take ZCSU 725329-5: 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 5.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
Z | 38 | ×1 | 38 |
C | 13 | ×2 | 26 |
S | 30 | ×4 | 120 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
7 | 7 | ×16 | 112 |
2 | 2 | ×32 | 64 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
3 | 3 | ×128 | 384 |
2 | 2 | ×256 | 512 |
9 | 9 | ×512 | 4608 |
Sum 6440 → 6440 mod 11 = 5 → check digit 5 → ZCSU 725329-5
ZMOU: check digit, worked through
ZMOU is registered to ZIM. Take ZMOU 805113-9: 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 9.
| Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
Z | 38 | ×1 | 38 |
M | 24 | ×2 | 48 |
O | 26 | ×4 | 104 |
U | 32 | ×8 | 256 |
8 | 8 | ×16 | 128 |
0 | 0 | ×32 | 0 |
5 | 5 | ×64 | 320 |
1 | 1 | ×128 | 128 |
1 | 1 | ×256 | 256 |
3 | 3 | ×512 | 1536 |
Sum 2814 → 2814 mod 11 = 9 → check digit 9 → ZMOU 805113-9
Tracking a ZIM container
Paste the number into the form at zim.com. We have not tested whether a link can carry the number there, so the checker on this page sends you to the form.
| Container number | ✓ yes |
|---|---|
| Bill of lading (B/L) | ✓ yes |
| Booking reference | — no |
| Mobile app | ✓ yes |
| Pre-filled link | not tried yet |
| Its bill of lading starts with | ZIMU |
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 ZIM 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 ZIMU, ZCSU and ZMOU containers?
ZIM does, a shipping line founded in 1945 — the BIC register lists 3 owner prefixes under it: ZIMU, ZCSU and ZMOU.
How do I track a ZIMU container?
Free, on the official ZIM tracker at zim.com — paste the full 11-character number; no account is needed. The same tracker serves all 3 ZIM prefixes.
Why does ZIM have 3 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 3 are tracked on the same zim.com system.
Is ZIMU a shipping line prefix or a leasing prefix?
A shipping line prefix — ZIM both owns the box and moves it, so the owner and the tracker are the same company.
Is ZIMU6654918 a valid container number?
Yes — ZIMU 665491-8 passes the ISO 6346 check: the weighted sum for ZIMU665491 leaves a remainder of 8 when divided by 11, which gives check digit 8. 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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