diff --git a/apps/edr-freight-web/portal/src/pages/contracts/NewShipmentPage.tsx b/apps/edr-freight-web/portal/src/pages/contracts/NewShipmentPage.tsx
index 477ec2bbb..783554b85 100644
--- a/apps/edr-freight-web/portal/src/pages/contracts/NewShipmentPage.tsx
+++ b/apps/edr-freight-web/portal/src/pages/contracts/NewShipmentPage.tsx
@@ -412,10 +412,9 @@ function NewShipmentBookingForm({
     mode: "onChange",
   });
 
-  // 20ft containers ride two per wagon. An odd total no longer blocks the
-  // booking — the server auto-pairs it with another customer's odd booking, or
-  // parks it as PENDING_CONSOLIDATION until one shows up (same consolidation
-  // gate the direct-booking flow already uses).
+  // 20ft containers ride two per wagon. On the COMPLETION page an odd total
+  // hard-blocks submit — odd (consolidated) bookings are GL's job in the
+  // backoffice. The direct-booking route keeps the consolidation notice.
   const watchedContainers = form.watch("containers");
   const ft20Total =
     contract.freightType === "CONTAINER"
@@ -424,6 +423,7 @@ function NewShipmentBookingForm({
           .reduce((sum, l) => sum + Number(l.quantity || 0), 0)
       : 0;
   const hasOdd20ft = ft20Total % 2 === 1;
+  const blockOdd20ft = hasOdd20ft && Boolean(completeBookingId);
 
   // COMPLETION mode: fetch the booking — a changes-requested resubmit prefills
   // the form from it and shows the operations note + uploaded documents.
@@ -580,6 +580,9 @@ function NewShipmentBookingForm({
   // run it for every freight type; container contracts additionally get
   // overweight warnings + 20ft pairing hard-blocks surfaced in the modal.
   const handleReview = form.handleSubmit((values) => {
+    // Completion: odd 20ft counts never reach review — the red alert next to
+    // the button explains; odd (consolidated) bookings are GL's backoffice job.
+    if (blockOdd20ft) return;
     setPendingValues(values);
     validateMutation.reset();
     validateMutation.mutate(buildDto(values));
@@ -744,7 +747,17 @@ function NewShipmentBookingForm({
                 Fix the highlighted fields before reviewing the price.
               </Alert>
             ) : null}
-            {hasOdd20ft ? (
+            {blockOdd20ft ? (
+              <Alert
+                color="red"
+                variant="light"
+                radius="md"
+                icon={<AlertCircle size={16} />}
+                mb="sm"
+              >
+                {`${ft20Total} is an odd number of 20ft containers. 20ft containers travel two per wagon, so they must be booked in even numbers — add one more or remove one (e.g. ${ft20Total + 1} or ${ft20Total - 1}).`}
+              </Alert>
+            ) : hasOdd20ft ? (
               <Alert
                 color="yellow"
                 variant="light"