Deconsolidate an LCL import master into house shipments

Guide information

Audience: Operations, Documentation

Time required: about 25 minutes for the first master shipment

Outcome: One LCL import master split into 4 house shipments, one per consignee, with the Outturn Report confirmed against the actual CFS measurements and every house sent its Arrival Notice, issued its D/O and released

Requirements

This tutorial requires the installation of the following applications/modules:

• Freight Forwarder Management

• Freight Consolidation

A Less Container Load (LCL) import master carries cargo for several consignees inside one container. Before any consignee can collect its goods, Hai Long must split the master into one house shipment per consignee, record what the container actually held once it is opened at the Container Freight Station (CFS), and send each consignee its own Arrival Notice and Delivery Order (D/O). Skipping a consignee when splitting the master means that consignee never gets a house record to issue an Arrival Notice or a D/O against. If a term below is new to you, see the Freight forwarding glossary.

Running scenario: Hai Long Logistics receives one master 40HC container SITU6677887 (seal ST3345012) from Busan Global Consol Co., Ltd. in Busan. Carrier SITC, vessel SITC GUANGXI, voyage 2611N, booking SITCBK667788, MBL SITC552678901, routing KRPUS (Busan) -> VNHPH (Hai Phong), ETD 2026-11-20, ETA 2026-11-26, destination CFS Dinh Vu CFS - Hai Phong. The container holds cargo for 4 consignees:

• Sao Mai Cosmetics Import Co., Ltd. - HBL HLLPUSHPH2611-201, 10 CBM / 1,800 kg.

• Dong Do Electronics Co., Ltd. - HBL HLLPUSHPH2611-202, 12 CBM / 3,600 kg.

• Thanh Cong Textile Materials Co., Ltd. - HBL HLLPUSHPH2611-203, 14 CBM / 4,200 kg.

• Viet Han Food Import Co., Ltd. - HBL HLLPUSHPH2611-204, 12 CBM / 3,600 kg.

Total: 48 CBM / 13,200 kg, matching the master’s Bill of Lading.

Before you start

• The master shipment is already created and confirmed the same way as any FCL import - see Import a full container load by sea. Before confirming, Shipment Role was set to Master (Consol) (it locks once house shipments exist).

• The destination CFS is agreed as Dinh Vu CFS - Hai Phong. The FCL master’s form does not show a Destination CFS input; enter it on each Draft house after deconsolidation in Step 2. SITC’s own D/O to Hai Long is already recorded in the master’s D/O Number / D/O Received fields (as in Import a full container load by sea, Step 2). This is the carrier’s D/O to Hai Long, one tier above the D/O Issued that each house will record in Step 4 for its own consignee - the two are separate fields and are never confused on screen.

• Container SITU6677887 has already been gated out of Hai Phong port and is on its way to the CFS - see Track container milestones from empty pickup to return.

• You are in the User: All Shipments group - User: Own Shipments can view a shipment but not create or confirm an Outturn Report on it. See ask your freight Administrator to grant this access before starting.

Step 1: Confirm the master is ready to deconsolidate

Splitting the master too early, before the container is actually close to the CFS, means redoing the vessel and ETA fields on every house shipment later. On the master shipment, check:

• MBL No. reads SITC552678901.

• Container SITU6677887, on the Cargo & Packages tab, shows Gated Out (enable the Import State column if it is hidden).

Tip

Step 1 is done when: container SITU6677887 shows Gated Out (not yet Unstuffed) and Shipment Role reads Master (Consol).

Step 2: Deconsolidate the master into 4 houses

Each consignee needs its own record to receive an Arrival Notice and a D/O addressed to it - putting 4 consignees’ cargo on one record means all 4 would see each other’s documents.

On the master, click Deconsolidate in the header. In the wizard, add one line per consignee and fill in:

• HBL No., Consignee, Commodity, Package Type, Packages, Weight (kg) and Volume (CBM) for each of the 4 consignees, using the HBL numbers and figures from the scenario above.

Click Create House Shipments.

Note

The wizard creates one aggregate package record per house from the entered weight and volume. Packages is included in that record’s description, such as Korean cosmetics (5 pcs); it does not create five separate pallet records. Review the house’s Cargo & Packages tab if individual package tracking is needed.

Warning

Nothing checks that the 4 lines add up to the master’s declared cargo. The wizard only blocks an empty line list - it never compares the total of Weight (kg) / Volume (CBM) across the 4 lines against the master’s own totals. Add the 4 lines up by hand (10 + 12 + 14 + 12 = 48 CBM) and check that figure against the original Bill of Lading before moving on. See Known limitations.

After you click Create House Shipments, the 4 houses appear in Draft status, each with Master Shipment (Consol) pointing back to this master and the MBL number, vessel, voyage, ETD/ETA and any Destination CFS already recorded on the master copied over. The FCL master in this example has no Destination CFS value, so complete it on the houses before confirming them.

Open each of the 4 Draft houses, set Destination CFS to Dinh Vu CFS - Hai Phong and check Destination is that house’s consignee address. Then click Confirm. Leave Origin CFS empty: the sea movement belongs to the master; each house covers onward delivery from the destination CFS.

After you click Confirm on a house:

• The status bar moves to Confirmed.

• Viindoo automatically creates an on-carriage leg from the destination CFS to that consignee’s address.

• The Send Arrival Notice button appears in the header - it stays hidden while the house is still Draft.

Tip

Step 2 is done when: all 4 houses show status Confirmed, each with exactly one consignee, and the 4 lines’ CBM (10 + 12 + 14 + 12) add up to 48 CBM, matching the original Bill of Lading.

Step 3: Unstuff the container and record the Outturn Report

Record the measurements taken when the container is opened at the CFS and compare them with the original manifest. The Outturn Report records shortages or damage and supplies actual CBM for cost allocation. Confirming it does not automatically revise selling prices or customer invoices.

On the master shipment, in the Cargo & Packages tab, click Unstuffed on the line for container SITU6677887. Then go to Freight Forwarding ‣ Operations ‣ All Shipments ‣ Outturn Reports and click New. Fill in:

• Master Shipment: the SITC master shipment.

• Container: select the internal reference, such as CONT 01, matched to physical container SITU6677887 in the master’s Containers table.

• Unstuffed Date: the date the container was opened.

• CFS Location: Dinh Vu CFS - Hai Phong (a free-text field - it does not look up the master’s own Destination CFS record).

Note

The 4 House Lines only appear after you click Save. Viindoo generates one line per house shipment when the Outturn Report record is actually created in the database, not while the form is still unsaved - the tab looks empty until then.

Click Save. The 4 lines appear, one per house, with Manifest Weight / Manifest Volume pre-filled from each house. For each line, enter Actual Weight and Actual Volume as measured at the CFS, and set Discrepancy to Shortage, Overage or Damaged if the actual figures differ from the manifest (in this shipment, the actual figures matched the manifest exactly, so Discrepancy stays OK on all 4 lines). Click Confirm.

After you click Confirm, the actual weight and volume on each line are written back onto the matching house shipment.

Tip

Step 3 is done when: the Outturn Report is Confirmed, all 4 lines show an Actual Weight and Actual Volume, and the 4 actual volumes still add up to 48 CBM.

Decide: wait for payment before issuing the D/O

There is no field on the house shipment for the consignee’s payment or HBL-surrender status - this is a company-policy call made outside the system, before clicking Issue D/O in Step 4.

Option	Use when	What changes
Wait for release approval	The payment, credit or document-release condition is not yet confirmed	Ops or Accounting checks the condition required by the customer agreement and company procedure before clicking Issue D/O; nothing in the system blocks an early click
Issue the D/O under a prepaid or credit approval	The origin agent or Accounting has confirmed the applicable authorization	Record the approver and source outside Viindoo before clicking Issue D/O

If you are unsure which release condition applies, pause and ask Accounting or the release owner to confirm the payment and original-HBL or telex-release status before clicking Issue D/O. See Known limitations below for what Viindoo does not check.

Step 4: Send the Arrival Notice and issue the D/O to each consignee

Each consignee needs to know its cargo has arrived, and needs its own D/O before it can collect that cargo at the CFS - confusing this with the carrier’s D/O to Hai Long from Before you start means the wrong document is handed to the wrong party.

On each of the 4 houses, click Send Arrival Notice in the header. The recipients are set automatically to that house’s Consignee (and its Notify Party, if one is set). Check the recipient, HBL/MBL and Arrival Date before sending. In this example, the house has no ATA after confirmation, so the message shows To be confirmed even though the master has arrived. Replace that text with the verified master arrival, 26/11/2026 08:00 ICT, in the message editor; keep the house’s onward-delivery dates separate. Review the message and click Send. Once Arrival Notice Sent shows a timestamp, click Issue D/O only after the applicable payment, credit and document-release approval has been confirmed as described in the Decide section above.

Important

Viindoo does not check that the consignee has paid or surrendered its original HBL before letting you click Issue D/O. The form shows the button after Arrival Notice is sent and hides it after D/O issuance. These display conditions do not verify payment or document release - see the Decide box above and Known limitations. Issue D/O records a timestamp; it does not generate or send a D/O document or fill in House D/O No. for you.

Tip

Step 4 is done when: all 4 houses show both Arrival Notice Sent and D/O Issued with a timestamp, Arrival Notice always before D/O Issued.

Step 5: Release cargo, return the empty container and close the master

Closing the master (Set Done) cannot be undone for the houses it drags along with it - it pushes every house that is not already Done or Cancelled straight to Done, whether or not that house’s cargo has actually left the CFS.

On each house, once the consignee has collected its cargo, click Cargo Released. On the master’s Cargo & Packages tab, once container SITU6677887 is empty, click Empty Returned. Only then click Set Done on the master.

Important

Set Done on the master automatically sets every house that is not Done or Cancelled to Done too - including a house whose cargo has not actually been released yet. This is intentional system behaviour, not a bug, but it means the order of clicks matters: confirm all 4 houses show Cargo Released before clicking Set Done on the master.

Tip

Step 5 is done when: all 4 houses show Cargo Released and status Done, the container shows Empty Returned, and the master itself shows status Done.

See also

The buy-side charges collected on this same master (THC, D/O fee, CFS unstuffing) can be allocated across the 4 houses by CBM: check each house’s allocated share against the supplier bill before invoicing.

Known limitations

Step	What Viindoo does today	What you do instead
Step 2 - CBM reconciliation	The Deconsolidate wizard does not compare the 4 lines’ total Weight (kg) / Volume (CBM) against the master’s own declared totals	Add the 4 lines up by hand and check the total against the original Bill of Lading before clicking Create House Shipments
Step 4 - payment / HBL check	The form shows Issue D/O after Arrival Notice and hides it after issuance. The action records an issuance timestamp, without checking payment or HBL surrender or generating a D/O document	Confirm payment or HBL/Telex release outside Viindoo before clicking Issue D/O - see Decide above
Step 5 - Set Done cascade	Set Done on the master pushes every house not already Done or Cancelled to Done too, regardless of whether that house’s cargo was actually released	Confirm all 4 houses show Cargo Released before clicking Set Done on the master
CFS storage clock	There is no separate field for CFS storage/free time - only Unstuffed Date on the Outturn Report	Track CFS storage charges outside Viindoo if the CFS contract has its own free-time terms

Troubleshooting

The Deconsolidate button is missing

Symptom: No Deconsolidate button in the header on what should be the master shipment.

Cause: The button only shows when Shipment Role is Master (Consol) and Direction is Import; a shipment created through the standard FCL import flow defaults to Direct.

Fix:

1. On the shipment, change Shipment Role to Master (Consol) before confirming it - the field locks once house shipments exist.

Issue D/O raises “D/O has already been issued for this shipment.”

Symptom: Clicking Issue D/O a second time on the same house shows this exact message.

Cause: A D/O can only be issued once per house; D/O Issued already has a value.

Fix:

1. Nothing to do - check the existing D/O Issued timestamp instead of issuing again.

Empty Returned raises “Master consolidation containers must be marked Unstuffed before Empty Returned.”

Symptom: Clicking Empty Returned on the master’s container before it was unstuffed shows this exact message.

Cause: A master container cannot be marked Empty Returned until its Unstuffed milestone is reached, even though the button itself may already be visible.

Fix:

1. Complete Unstuffed on the container (Step 3) before clicking Empty Returned.

Cargo Released is missing on a house

Symptom: No Cargo Released button on a house shipment.

Cause: The action requires the house to already have its D/O Issued.

Fix:

1. Complete Issue D/O on that house first (Step 4).

See also

Related articles

• Import a full container load by sea

• Consolidate LCL export shipments under a master

• Track container milestones from empty pickup to return

• ask your freight Administrator to grant this access before starting