Maersk has announced new booking requirements for all sea export cargo originating from Egypt following updated customs procedures under the NAFEZA platform. Effective 17 July 2026, all export shipments must include a valid Unique Consignment Reference (UCR), a 19-digit identification number required for electronic customs processing, compliance and cargo tracking. Under the new rules, customers must obtain a UCR through the NAFEZA platform and provide it when submitting bookings. Maersk said bookings without a valid UCR will not be accepted, while the shipper details must match the registered export information. The carrier also confirmed that bookings submitted through Maersk.com must include the UCR in the designated reference field, while customers using INTTRA or EDI platforms must enter the UCR in the remarks section. Bookings containing invalid UCR information will be rejected or cancelled. In addition, Maersk will not allow amendments to the UCR number or shipper details after a booking has been submitted. Customers requiring such changes must cancel the original booking and submit a new one, subject to vessel capacity. The carrier also announced that split booking requests will no longer be accepted under the new customs framework. Customers must ensure that the correct containers are assigned to each booking, as Maersk will be required to submit an Empty Container List (ECL) to Egyptian Customs. Although Egyptian Customs indicated the requirement would apply from 18 July, Maersk said it will implement the new procedures one day earlier, with all bookings submitted from 17 July required to comply. The post Maersk updates Egypt export booking rules under new NAFEZA customs requirements appeared first on Container News .