Transport Fever 3 Ships Not Unloading: Port and Warehouse Checks

Start at the port where the loaded ship refuses to unload. Cargo needs somewhere to go: a factory, an end consumer, or a warehouse. A large port building does not provide cargo storage by itself. Placing a depot beside it also does not replace the warehouse needed for a transfer to another transport service.

For a fish route that continues inland by road, place the receiving warehouse near the port. Several players initially expected the harbor to hold fish as stations did in their previous Transport Fever experience. Others already had a warehouse and still could not unload, so this is the first check rather than proof that the whole route is correct. Keep the warehouse check separate from the ship's loading instructions.

Open the line manager and inspect the receiving port's cargo selection. On the fish route, fish should be selected at the fishing ground and unselected at the port where you want delivery. Players reported that leaving fish selected at the destination with the default amount told the service to load fish there, preventing the intended unload.

An alternative reported configuration keeps fish selected but moves its destination amount slider to 0%. Use this as a destination-setting check, not as a loading amount for the fishing ground. Another reported approach removes fish from the destination selection and checks Unload all. Forced unloading has mixed results elsewhere, so try the ordinary source-and-destination correction first.

The same mistake also appeared on a road delivery: carts brought boards to town but left with everything still aboard because the town stop was configured to load them. Changing station type and adding a depot had not solved that case. This makes the stop instruction worth checking before rebuilding the harbor.

Check both the line and the vehicle. A fish-capable route still needs a boat that can carry fish. Use the fish icon at the top of the vehicle selection panel to identify suitable boats. Depending on the starting year, the first boat shown in the list may carry passengers only.

Inspect every relevant stop for unwanted selections as well. Fish routes have been reported with passengers and tools selected. A fuel route was reported with chemicals selected automatically instead of fuel. Select the intended cargo at its pickup stop and inspect the final city stop separately; selecting the same cargo everywhere can recreate the loading mistake from the previous step.

One player also reported that an earlier line accepted only passengers until its settings were changed. Do not assume that a line created before the cargo vehicles were bought will already have the right choices. If your ship is already carrying fish, its inability to unload should direct your attention back to the receiving stop and warehouse.

Inspect the warehouse configuration rather than relying only on the building's presence. Available warehouse categories include universal, liquid, bulk, oversized, and commercial storage. Gameplay also distinguishes an ordinary warehouse from a specialized warehouse where the cargo type can be selected.

For the fish tutorial, players reported success with the first, universal warehouse. A separate suggestion recommends a perishable/goods storage module for fish. Those suggestions do not establish that every fish route must use one particular specialized building. Start with the tutorial's universal-warehouse check, then inspect the configured storage if the route still refuses delivery.

For crude oil, a reported recommendation is liquid tanks. Fuel gameplay likewise adds liquid storage to a site already handling crude oil before extending the fuel transport chain. However, one fuel player had two liquid warehouses within the port's radius and still could not unload; another suggested a general cargo warehouse as a workaround. That workaround is a player report, and a general warehouse being required for all fuel deliveries is not confirmed yet.

Trace the delivery beyond the harbor. The fish setup described in gameplay runs from the fishing ground to a receiving port and warehouse, then from that warehouse toward the town's commercial area by road. Fish demand is shown in commerce, so the road delivery needs to reach the area that wants fish.

The gameplay creates a fish-only road route, removes passengers from its cargo choices, and assigns specialized trucks. It also describes unloading at a regular stop near the commercial area. This is a reported working arrangement, not evidence that every port needs a newly built specialized road terminal.

For an inland town, the harbor is only the transfer point. Check the road connection and the onward freight line to the fish-demand area instead of expecting the ship to complete the inland delivery. Players reported confusion when the tutorial continued requesting a harbor and depot even after those buildings existed. Tutorial placement recognition and cargo unloading are separate symptoms; correcting a loading instruction does not prove that the tutorial will recognize every building location.

For an oil-rig, refinery, and final-city route, inspect fuel as a separate cargo from crude oil. A ship successfully moving crude oil on the first leg does not confirm that the refinery stop is configured to load fuel for the next leg. Check the small cargo icon at the fuel pickup stop and ensure it represents fuel rather than chemicals.

In the fuel gameplay, the road service is changed to load additional fuel, the ships are told to load fuel too, and another destination stop is added after the harbor. This illustrates the settings that need attention when an existing oil chain gains a fuel delivery. Inspect the warehouse and the onward road stop as part of the same chain. A player troubleshooting city fuel delivery was also asked whether those facilities reached the industrial area.

Do not treat a partially completed delivery as proof of total unloading failure. The gameplay reports fuel delivery of 10 out of 200 while stone storage has already reached 314. It also expresses uncertainty about the fuel progress. The explanation for that partial fuel count is not confirmed yet, and there is no supported timing rule for when all of it should arrive.

If the boat cannot accept the route and reports no way for large ships, check the harbor and dock size. Gameplay describes a large barge requiring a special pier and a smaller barge that does not need a large pier. Large docks can be added when using the bigger vessel.

In another route, the Terranova is rejected at a small harbor. The player sells it and assigns a cutter, which accepts the line. That is a compatibility solution for a ship that cannot use the route. It does not establish that replacing a ship will fix cargo remaining aboard a vessel that already reaches the receiving port.

Players have reported success with forced unloading at the harbor, reloading a save and rebuilding the fish buildings, or quitting and reopening the game. Other players reported that forced unloading or reloading did not help. These are conditional fallbacks rather than guaranteed repairs.

Demand can also matter: one player reported a cargo issue caused by demand that cleared after a few minutes. Another rebuilt the fish infrastructure several times without success. If the warehouse, cargo selections, compatible vehicle, and onward connection are already checked, repeated demolition has no confirmed benefit. A fix for the remaining refusal, and any version in which it was resolved, are not confirmed yet.