APL Terminal Tracking: CMA CGM APL Marine Services, Fenix Marine & Container Tracking
APL Terminal refers to container terminal facilities operated by, or historically branded under, APL (American President Lines), now a wholly owned subsidiary of CMA CGM Group. In 2026, APL's terminal presence in North America is best understood in three parts: the former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles has been Fenix Marine Services since 1 December 2017 (EQT acquired the terminal from CMA CGM that year, CMA CGM retained a 10% stake); APL Marine Services LLC is the US flag Jones Act arm of the group that carries US Government cargo; and APL container bookings (commercial and government) route milestones through the CMA CGM eBusiness stack that now owns the underlying data. For freight forwarders and NVOCCs, that means "APL Terminal" is a legacy search rather than a current operational address in most cases: the container is being worked at Fenix Marine or another West Coast terminal, and the tracking record lives on cma-cgm.com or apl.com against a CMA CGM booking number.
New to the CMA CGM Group carrier stack? See the Fenix Marine Terminal Tracking glossary for the current successor to APL Global Gateway South at Port of Los Angeles.
Key Takeaways
- What "APL Terminal" means in 2026: A legacy term. APL (American President Lines) has been a subsidiary of CMA CGM Group since 10 June 2016, and since October 2020 the APL brand has focused on US Government cargo while CMA CGM is the sole brand on the commercial transpacific.
- Former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles: Now Fenix Marine Services (614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731). EQT acquired the terminal from CMA CGM on 1 December 2017 and renamed it. Four berths at 1,000 feet each, 50 foot depth alongside. CMA CGM retains a 10% ownership stake.
- APL Marine Services LLC: The US flag Jones Act arm of the group. Operates US Government cargo services (Military Sealift Command, MARAD, US Transportation Command). This is a shipping operation, not a terminal.
- CMA CGM APL relationship: APL is a wholly owned CMA CGM Group subsidiary. Commercial container bookings marked APL discharge at CMA CGM contracted terminals and are tracked through the CMA CGM eBusiness stack.
- APL container tracking: Enter the container, bill of lading, or booking number on apl.com or cma-cgm.com. Both surfaces query the same CMA CGM Group data. For a booking marked APL Marine Services, contact the US Government service desk directly (see contact section).
- Where an APL branded container actually discharges: In most cases at a CMA CGM contracted West Coast terminal, most commonly Fenix Marine (LA), or at CMA CGM contracted berths at Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, and NY / NJ. The terminal is the operator of record, not APL.
- What forwarders should do: Route the tracking lookup to CMA CGM. Confirm the discharge terminal on the CMA CGM booking, then work the discharge terminal's TOS (Fenix Marine TOS at LA, TraPac or SSA Marine at Oakland, and so on) for the Last Free Day and hold status.
Definition. APL Terminal is a legacy operational term. APL (American President Lines), founded 1848 and formerly headquartered in Singapore, is a subsidiary of CMA CGM Group. The "APL Terminal" branded facility most searchers are looking for is the former APL Global Gateway South at Port of Los Angeles, which has operated as Fenix Marine Services since 1 December 2017. Current APL commercial and government cargo discharges at CMA CGM contracted terminals; APL container tracking runs through the shared CMA CGM eBusiness stack.
What Is APL Terminal
"APL Terminal" is not, in 2026, the name of a currently operating US container terminal. It is the legacy operational term for the container facility that APL and its Eagle Marine Services subsidiary ran at Port of Los Angeles from 1997 through 2017, plus the informal shorthand that forwarders and drayage dispatchers still use for the berth where a container booked under APL is discharged.
Three distinct entities carry the APL name in the CMA CGM Group today:
- APL (American President Lines) as a container brand. The historical carrier, founded in 1848 and one of the oldest ocean carriers in continuous operation. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of CMA CGM Group.
- APL Marine Services LLC. The US flag Jones Act operator carrying US Government cargo (Military Sealift Command, MARAD, US Transportation Command). This is a shipping company, not a terminal. Vessels operate under US flag and US crew per Jones Act requirements.
- The former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles. Also known historically as Global Gateway South and operated as Eagle Marine Services (an APL subsidiary) from 1997 to 2017. Sold to EQT on 1 December 2017 (CMA CGM retained 10%) and renamed Fenix Marine Services on the same date.
For forwarders searching "APL terminal", the container in question is almost always at a CMA CGM contracted terminal (most often Fenix Marine at LA), tracked through the CMA CGM eBusiness stack, and released against a CMA CGM or APL booking number. The right operational move is to route the query to the current terminal and to CMA CGM tracking, not to a defunct APL terminal portal.
The CMA CGM Acquisition of APL: What Actually Changed
The CMA CGM Group acquired APL (through parent Neptune Orient Lines / NOL) on 10 June 2016, when CMA CGM completed its tender for over 90 percent of NOL shares. That single transaction reset the operational reality for anyone shipping under APL:
- 2016. APL becomes a wholly owned CMA CGM subsidiary. Commercial container bookings, vessel operations, and terminal contracts start migrating to CMA CGM systems and CMA CGM tariffs.
- 1 December 2017. EQT (a Swedish investment firm) acquires the former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles from CMA CGM, retaining a 10 percent CMA CGM stake, and renames it Fenix Marine Services. The 4 berth Terminal Island facility (614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731; 1,000 foot berths at 50 foot depth) that most forwarders remember as "APL Terminal LA" is no longer branded APL from this date forward.
- October 2020. APL commercial container operations on the transpacific are consolidated into the CMA CGM brand. The APL brand is retained for the US Government cargo business run by APL Marine Services LLC.
- 2026 (current). APL is a CMA CGM subsidiary. Commercial APL bookings discharge at CMA CGM contracted terminals and track through the CMA CGM eBusiness stack. APL Marine Services LLC continues as the US flag Jones Act operator for US Government contracts.
The practical implication for a forwarder in 2026 is that "APL" on the booking, the bill of lading, or the container prefix does not mean the container is being worked at an APL branded terminal. It is being worked at whatever terminal CMA CGM has under contract for that service string.
Where Is APL Terminal Now? US Terminal Locations Under CMA CGM APL
Because APL no longer operates a US container terminal under the APL name, the operational question is: where does a container booked under APL actually discharge? The table below maps the major US West Coast and East Coast ports to the terminal that most commonly handles CMA CGM APL commercial calls, based on the current CMA CGM eBusiness terminal listing and industry sources. CMA CGM does not publish a fixed berth per service, and alliance realignment (Gemini Cooperation, Premier Alliance, Ocean Alliance) continues to move service strings, so always confirm the discharge terminal on the CMA CGM booking rather than relying on a legacy assumption.
| US Port | Terminal that most commonly handles CMA CGM APL calls | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Los Angeles | Fenix Marine Services (614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731) | Former APL Terminal / Global Gateway South. EQT acquired from CMA CGM on 1 December 2017; CMA CGM retains 10%. Four berths at 1,000 feet, 50 foot depth. |
| Port of Long Beach | Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) or Pacific Container Terminal, depending on the service string | CMA CGM does not publish a fixed 2026 berth here. Confirm the terminal on the booking before dispatching drayage. |
| Port of Oakland | TraPac Oakland or SSA Marine Oakland International Container Terminal, depending on the service string | Historically APL called at Global Gateway North (Oakland). The current assignment is not published; confirm it on the booking. |
| Port of Seattle / Tacoma (NW Seaport Alliance) | Husky Terminal (Tacoma) or Terminal 5 (Seattle) | The current Pacific Northwest berth is not published; confirm it on the booking. |
| Port of New York / New Jersey | APM Terminals Elizabeth or Maher Terminals, depending on the service string | East Coast CMA CGM services rotate, so the discharge terminal changes with the string. Confirm it on the booking. |
| Dutch Harbor, Alaska | APL / CMA CGM Group Jones Act service call | APL Marine Services LLC US flag Alaska service historically calls Dutch Harbor. The current rotation is not published; confirm it on the booking. |
The pattern for forwarders is consistent across every port on this list: the terminal is under CMA CGM contract (not APL branding), the operator of record is the terminal (Fenix, TraPac, SSA, APM, Maher, LBCT), and the container tracking record lives on cma-cgm.com or apl.com against a CMA CGM booking number.
For forwarders working West Coast lanes as a regular rotation, the operational data belongs in your Ocean Freight Management Software: vessel schedules, berth assignments, container milestones, and demurrage clocks all belong on the same platform as the booking, not spread across carrier portals, terminal TOSs, and email.
APL Container Tracking in 2026
APL container tracking runs through two overlapping surfaces, both of which query the same CMA CGM Group backend:
- apl.com tracking. The APL branded tracking page accepts container number, bill of lading number, or booking reference. It returns the current milestone chain (booking, gate in, load, ATA, discharge, gate out, empty return) for the container. Behind the scenes, the query is served from the CMA CGM Group data store; the APL surface is retained because so many bills of lading still carry APL prefixes and APL account numbers.
- cma-cgm.com eBusiness portal. The CMA CGM Group portal accepts the same lookup inputs and returns the same milestone chain, plus additional CMA CGM Group services (documentation, invoice download, ISF, and hold resolution) that require a CMA CGM account login. Forwarders with a CMA CGM eBusiness account should route the lookup through cma-cgm.com for the full data set; forwarders without an account can use apl.com for the container level view.
Beyond the two carrier surfaces, forwarders that already consolidate carrier and terminal data into a single ops view should route CMA CGM APL milestones through their existing Shipment Tracking & Operations Software for Forwarders rather than jumping between apl.com, cma-cgm.com, Fenix Marine TOS, and the terminal availability page for every container. The point of a forwarder platform is that the ops team sees CMA CGM APL container status alongside every other carrier and terminal, not in a separate portal.
Tracking inputs that work on apl.com:
- Container number. The 4 letter prefix plus 7 digit serial (for example APLU1234567, TCLU1234567, CGMU1234567). Any container prefix routed on a CMA CGM Group vessel returns.
- Bill of lading number. The APL or CMA CGM bill of lading number as it appears on the shipping instructions and confirmation.
- Booking number. The APL or CMA CGM booking reference issued at booking confirmation.
What the tracking record returns:
- Booking confirmed, container released, gate in at load port, load onto vessel, vessel ETA / ETD, vessel ATA / ATD, discharge at unload port, gate out, empty return. Nine standard milestones for a standard dry container move.
- Vessel and voyage. The vessel name and voyage number carrying the container, useful for cross referencing terminal side vessel schedules.
- Discharge terminal. The actual terminal handling the discharge (Fenix Marine, TraPac, and so on), which is the terminal the forwarder should query for Last Free Day and hold status.
How to Contact APL Terminal Operations
Because "APL Terminal" is a legacy operational surface rather than a currently branded facility, contact routing splits by what the query is about:
- Commercial APL container questions (tracking, documentation, release, invoice). Route through CMA CGM eBusiness (cma-cgm.com) or the CMA CGM Group Americas customer service center. The APL branded customer service line for commercial cargo was consolidated into CMA CGM operations following the October 2020 transpacific brand consolidation.
- APL Marine Services LLC (US Government cargo). Contact APL Marine Services directly through their US Government services contact page on apl.com. This is a separate operational and commercial channel from CMA CGM commercial container service.
- Former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles (physical terminal operations, drayage appointments, gate access). Contact Fenix Marine Services directly (fenixmarineservices.com; 614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731). APL does not answer physical terminal operations questions at this facility.
- Container at a non LA terminal booked under APL. Contact the discharge terminal directly (TraPac Oakland, SSA Marine, LBCT, APM Terminals, Maher, Husky, and so on). The CMA CGM booking confirmation names the discharge terminal.
Watch out
The single most common forwarder mistake in 2026 is calling an APL customer service line for a container that is physically at Fenix Marine or TraPac and asking about drayage appointment slots or Last Free Day. That query has to go to the terminal, not to the carrier.
For Forwarders: Handling APL Containers Cleanly
For a forwarder handling a booking marked APL in 2026, the operational sequence is:
- Confirm the booking is under CMA CGM Group. Any APL branded booking issued after October 2020 for commercial cargo is a CMA CGM Group booking under APL naming. US Government cargo bookings remain APL Marine Services LLC and route differently.
- Pull the CMA CGM booking confirmation for the vessel, voyage, and discharge terminal. Do not assume the discharge terminal from historical APL routing.
- Track the container on cma-cgm.com or apl.com using the container number, bill of lading, or booking reference. Both surfaces return the same milestone chain.
- Once the container discharges, query the discharge terminal's TOS (Fenix Marine at LA, TraPac or SSA Marine at Oakland, LBCT at Long Beach, APM Terminals or Maher at NY / NJ) for Last Free Day, holds (CBP, freight, exam), and appointment availability.
- Book the drayage appointment through the discharge terminal's trucker portal, not through APL or CMA CGM. Terminal appointments are terminal side.
- Track the full move on your forwarder platform so the ops team is not switching between apl.com, cma-cgm.com, Fenix Marine TOS, and TraPac TOS for every container.
This sequence collapses a legacy carrier-terminal split into a single tracked lane per container, which is the difference between reactive Last Free Day scrambles and proactive demurrage management on CMA CGM APL cargo.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is APL Terminal still open in 2026?
The facility historically known as APL Terminal (Global Gateway South at Port of Los Angeles) is still open, but it has operated as Fenix Marine Services since 1 December 2017. On that date, EQT acquired the terminal from CMA CGM (which retained a 10% stake) and renamed the facility. The address is 614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731. The terminal still handles CMA CGM Group vessels, including CMA CGM APL calls, but the operator of record is Fenix Marine Services, not APL. APL does not operate a US container terminal under the APL name in 2026.
Is APL still part of CMA CGM?
Yes. APL (American President Lines) has been a wholly owned subsidiary of CMA CGM Group since 10 June 2016, when CMA CGM completed its tender for over 90% of Neptune Orient Lines (APL's parent) shares. Since October 2020, the APL brand focuses on US Government cargo carried by APL Marine Services LLC, while CMA CGM is the sole commercial brand on the transpacific.
How do I track an APL container?
Enter the container number, bill of lading number, or booking reference on apl.com or cma-cgm.com. Both surfaces query the same CMA CGM Group data store and return the same milestone chain (booking, gate in, load, ATA, discharge, gate out, empty return) plus the vessel name, voyage number, and discharge terminal. Forwarders with a CMA CGM eBusiness account should route lookups through cma-cgm.com for the full documentation and hold resolution surface. For a booking under APL Marine Services LLC (US Government cargo), contact APL Marine Services directly through the US Government services channel on apl.com.
What is APL Marine Services?
APL Marine Services LLC is the US flag Jones Act arm of the CMA CGM Group. It operates US Government cargo services for Military Sealift Command, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), and US Transportation Command under US flag and US crew per Jones Act requirements. This is a shipping operation carrying government cargo, not a container terminal. Commercial container shippers do not book through APL Marine Services LLC; commercial bookings route through CMA CGM Group.
Where does an APL container discharge in Los Angeles?
An APL container arriving at Port of Los Angeles in 2026 discharges at Fenix Marine Services (614 Terminal Way, Terminal Island, CA 90731) in most cases, because Fenix Marine is the former APL Terminal and remains a CMA CGM Group contracted terminal. The specific terminal is named on the CMA CGM booking confirmation; alliance realignment continues to shift service strings, so forwarders should confirm the discharge terminal per booking rather than assuming Fenix.
What is the FIRMS code for the former APL Terminal at Los Angeles?
The former APL Terminal at Port of Los Angeles is now Fenix Marine Services. Fenix Marine does not publish its FIRMS code in the CMA CGM terminal listing, so forwarders should pull the current FIRMS code from the CMA CGM booking confirmation or from the Fenix Marine Services operations page at fenixmarineservices.com. The historical APL Terminal FIRMS code is no longer active for CMA CGM Group filings at this facility.
Is CMA CGM the same as APL?
Not exactly. CMA CGM Group is the parent; APL is a subsidiary of the group. They share vessel capacity, terminal contracts, and eBusiness systems, and since October 2020 the CMA CGM brand carries the commercial transpacific service while APL Marine Services LLC carries US Government cargo under US flag. A container marked APL in 2026 is a CMA CGM Group container operationally, but not every CMA CGM container is an APL container: CMA CGM continues to operate under its own brand on most commercial routes.
