Glossary

B/L
Bill of lading – acts as a receipt for the cargo and contains the terms of the contract
of carriage and is a document of title to the goods.
B/L Ton
Bill of lading ton-the greater weight or measurement of goods where 1 ton is either
1000 kilogramme or 1 cubic metre, also called Freight Ton
Blue Book
Sets out regulations for the carriage of dangerous goods in ships, as required by the
Department of Trade for dangerous goods aboard ships in British ports. It largely
refers to the IMDG Code (see below).
Bonded Warehouse
A place of security approved by the custom authorities for the deposit, keeping and
securing of goods liable to excise duty, without payment of this duty.
Box
A colloquial name for a container.
Boxtime
A standard BIMCO time charter for container ships.
Break Bulk Cargo
Goods shipped loose in the vessel’s hold and not in containers.
CABAF
Currency and bunker adjustment factor, a combination of CAF and BAF.
Cabotage
Coastal Navigation , Coastal Cargo Marine transportation , Cargo marine transportation in
National coastal Area .
CAF
Currency adjustment factor- adjusts the freight to reflect currency exchange
fluctuations.
C&E
Customs and Excise.
C&F
Cost and Freight- a conventional port-to-port INCOTERM of sale, more correctly
known as CFR (see below)
CFR Cost and Freight
“Cost and Freight” means that the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel or procures the goods already so delivered. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods passes when the goods are on board the vessel. the seller must contract for and pay the costs and freight necessary to bring the goods to the named port of destination.
CFS
Container Freight Station- a place for the packing and unpacking of LCL
consignments. Sometimes known as C/B in the U.K; Depots in other parts of the
world’ and ICD in the U.K. and the Indian Subcontinent.
CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight
“Cost, Insurance and Freight” means that the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel or procures the goods already so delivered. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods passes when the goods are on board the vessel. The seller must contract for and pay the costs and freight necessary to bring the goods to the named port of destination. ‘The seller also contracts for insurance cover against the buyer’s risk of loss of or damage to the goods during the carriage. The buyer should note that under CIF the seller is required to obtain insurance only on minimum cover. Should the buyer wish to have more insurance protection, it will need either to agree as much expressly with the seller or to make its own extra insurance arrangements.”

“The seller also contracts for insurance cover against the buyer’s risk of loss of or damage to the goods during the carriage. The buyer should note that under CIP the seller is required to obtain insurance only on minimum cover. Should the buyer wish to have more insurance protection, it will need either to agree as much expressly with the seller or to make its own extra insurance arrangements.”
CIP Carriage And Insurance Paid To
“Carriage and Insurance Paid to” means that the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or another person nominated by the seller at an agreed place (if any such place is agreed between parties) and that the seller must contract for and pay the costs of carriage necessary to bring the goods to the named place of destination.
CMI
Comite Maritime International – an international committee of maritime lawyers.
COT
Customer’s On Transport-i.e. the customer collects the cargo from or delivers it to
the CFS/CY.
COU
Clip on Unit-a portable refrigeration unit.
CPT
Carriage Paid To-a new combined transport Incoterm replacing CFR where CT is
involved but applicable to all modes of transport, it used to be DCP. Particulary
appropriate for combined transport.
CSC
Container Safety Convention.
CT
Combined Transport- carriage by more than one mode of transport under ome
contract of carriage.
CY
Container Yard-collection and distribution point for FCL (see below) containers.
Certificate of Origin
A document certifying the country of origin of goods which is normally issued or
signed by a Chamber of Commerce or Embassy.
Consortium
A group of CTO who agree to rationallise sailings in a trade and carry each others
cargo.
CPT Carriage Paid To
“Carriage Paid To” means that the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or another person nominated by the seller at an agreed place (if any such place is agreed between parties) and that the seller must contract for and pay the costs of carriage necessary to bring the goods to the named place of destination.

DAT Delivered At Terminal
“Delivered at Terminal” means that the seller delivers when the goods, once unloaded from the arriving means of transport, are placed at the disposal of the buyer at a named terminal at the named port or place of destination. “Terminal” includes a place, whether covered or not, such as a quay, warehouse, container yard or road, rail or air cargo terminal. The seller bears all risks involved in bringing the goods to and unloading them at the terminal at the named port or place of destination.
DAP Delivered At Place
“Delivered at Place” means that the seller delivers when the goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer on the arriving means of transport ready for unloading at the named place of destination. The seller bears all risks involved in bringing the goods to the named place.
DDP Delivered Duty Paid
“Delivered Duty Paid” means that the seller delivers the goods when the goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer, cleared for import on the arriving means of transport ready for unloading at the named place of destination. The seller bears all the costs and risks involved in bringing the goods to the place of destination and has an obligation to clear the goods not only for export but also for import, to pay any duty for both export and import and to carry out all customs formalities.
Delivery Order
A document authorizing delivery to a nominated party of goods in the care of a
third party. This document can be issued by a carrier on surrender of the original
bill of lading and then used by the merchant to transfer title by endorsement.
Demurrage
A charge raised for detaining a vessel, cargo or FCL or carrier’s containers and/or
trailers for a longer period than provided for in the tariff or contract.
Depot A CFS, (see above).

Detention
A charge raised for detaining cargo. Containers or trailers for a longer period than
provided for in the tariff.
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange-the transfer of structured data from one computer
system to another.
EDIFACT
EDI For Administration, Commerce and Transport- an – or- ganisation responsible
to UN ECE for the development of standard EDI messages for Adiminstration,
Commerce and Transport.
EDP
Electronic Data Processing-computer processing of data.
ETC
Electronic Data Credits- and idea being developed by the EDI Banking Interst
Section to facilitate an EDI alte nati e to doc menta c edits
Section to facilitate an EDI alternative to documentary credits.
ETD
Estimated Time of Departure (see ETA)
EXW Ex Works
“Ex Works” means that the seller delivers when it places the goods at the disposal of the buyer at the seller’s premises or at another named place (i.e.,works, factory, warehouse, etc.). The seller does not need to load the goods on any collecting vehicle, nor does it need to clear the goods for export, where such clearance is applicable.
FAS Free Alongside Ship
“Free Alongside Ship” means that the seller delivers when the goods are placed alongside the vessel (e.g., on a quay or a barge) nominated by the buyer at the named port of shipment. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods passes when the goods are alongside the ship, and the buyer bears all costs from that moment onwards.
FCA Free Carrier
“Free Carrier” means that the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or another person nominated by the buyer at the seller’s premises or another named place. The parties are well advised to specify as clearly as possible the point within the named place of delivery, as the risk passes to the buyer at that point.
FCL Full
Container Load-an arrangement whereby the shipper utilizes all the space in a
container which he packs himself. “FCL door (or house)/LCL depot” would describe
a movement where a haulier, who was the sub-contractor of the carrier, took an
empty container to a shipper’s premises for packing by the shipper and then to haul
the loaded container back to the container yard. At the importing end, the loaded
container would then be unpacked at the CTO’s depot by the sub-contractor of the
carrier, who would effect delivery to the consignee’s promises. “FCL port (or
pier)/FCL deport” is when the carrier receives from the shipper at the vessel’s side a
container packed by the shipper and delivers same to the consignee at the importing
depot for the consignee to take it to his premises for unpacking and subsequent
retum of the empty container to carrier’s depot.
Feeder Vessel
A short- sea vessel used to fetch and carry goods and containers to and from deepsea
ports/vessels.
FOB Free On Board
“Free On Board” means that the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel nominated by the buyer at the named port of shipment or procures the goods already so delivered. The risk of loss of or damage to the goods passes when the goods are on board the vessel, and the buyer bears all costs from that moment onwards.
Freight
The amount of money payable for the carriage of goods. Sometimes erroneously
used to describe the goods which are more correctly described as “ cargo” in marine
transportation.
GA
General Average.
Groupage
Consolidation of several LCL consignments into a container.
H/L
Heavy Lift.
House or Door
A movemnt starting or finishing at the customer’s premisee. Thus, “House/House”
or “Door/Door” starts at the shippers premises and ends at the consignee’s
premises.
International commercial terms
The Incoterms® rules have become an essential part of the daily language of trade. They have been incorporated in contracts for the sale of goods worldwide and provide rules and guidance to importers, exporters, lawyers, transporters, insurers and students of international trade.
INCOTERMS 2010
RULES FOR ANY MODE OR MODES OF TRANSPORT
EXW Ex Works ,FCA Free Carrier ,CPT Carriage Paid To ,CIP Carriage And Insurance Paid To ,DAT Delivered At Terminal ,DAP Delivered At Place ,DDP Delivered Duty Paid
RULES FOR SEA AND INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT
FAS Free Alongside Ship ,FOB Free On Board ,CFR Cost and Freight ,CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight
IMDG Code
International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code- con – tains the IMO
recommendations for the carriage of dangerous goods by sea.
IMO
International Maritime Organisation- a UN body charged with the duty of making
safety and anti-pollution conventions and recommendations concerning sea
transport.
ISO
International Standards Organisation- a body responsible for, inter alia,Setting
Standards for inter alia,setting standards for container construction.
INCOTERMS
International Rules for the Interpretation of Trade Termsat current comprising 13
terms (listed above) for foreign trade contracts, compiled by ICC.
L/C
Letter of Credit- a document in which the terms of documentary credit transactions
are set out.
LCL
Less than container Load- when a parcel is too small to fill a container which is
grouped by the carrier at a CFS with other compatible goods for the same
destination. “ LCL door/ LCL depot” is effected when the carrier collects the cargo
from the shipper, takes it to his depot for groupage and delivers to the import
depot.
L/I
Letter of Indemnity- sometimes also called a letter of guarantee, it allows the
consignee to take delivery of his goods without the surrendering of the original bill
of lading which has been delayed or become lost.
LO-LO
Lift On Lift Off- a containership onto which and from which containers are lifted by
crane (as opposed to RoRo).
Liner
A vessel plying a regular pattern of a trade on a defined route under a published
sailing schedule.
Liner Terms
Freight payable which includes the cost of loading and unloading.
MMO
Multi Modal Operator.
Manifest
List of goods or passengers on a vessel.
M/R
Mate’s Receipt- a receipt given to the party that delivers the cargo to the ship.The
M\R states quantity and condition of the cargo and where it was stowed.
Notify Party
The party to whom the ANF (see above) is sent.
O/H
Overheight- a container with goods protruding above the  of the corner posts.
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OOG
Out of Gauge- goods whose dimensions exceed those of the container in which they
are packed.
O/W
Overwidth – a container with goods portuding beyond the sides of the container/flat
rack onto which they are packed.
POA
Place of Acceptance – the place where the goods are received for shipment or
transit and where the carrier’s liability commences. Now more usually called POR
(see below).
POD
Place of Delivery- the place where the goods are delivered and carrier’s liability
ends. It can also mean proof of Delivery and then it means a signed receipt
acknowledging delivery.
Port or Pier
A movemnt starting or finishing at he vessel’s side, as in the times of break bulk
cargoes, so that the inland movement prior and subsequent to sea carriage is
effected by the merchant. It is possible to encounter movements involving more
than one of these mentioned. Thus,”door(or house)/ depot” would describe a
movement starting at the shipper’s premises and ending at the CFS. Once the
details in respect of LCL or FCL are added to the bill of lading a full picture of the
type of movement contemplated by the shippers is possible.
RN
Release Note- a receipt signed by the customer with the acknowledgement of
delivery of his goods.
Ro-Ro
A ferry type vessel, onto which goods and containers can be driven usually via a
ramp.
Reefer
A refrigerated vessel or container.
SDR
Special Drawing Rights- means of a basket of currencies designed to “iron out”
currency exhange fluctuations in international valuations, now Used to express the
limitation under the Hague-Visby Relus and the MSA Limitation Convention.
Shipper
The person who tenders the goods for thecarriage, not to be confused with the
party issuing the bill of lading or the vessel’s operator who is the carrier.
Slot
The space on board a vessel occupied by a container.
Stuffing/Stripping
The action performed packing or unpacking a container.
TEU
Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit – i.e. 1×20ft= 1 TEU, 1×40ft = 2 TEU.
THC
Terminal Handling Charge- a charge for handling container at the ocen terminals.
TIR
Transport International Routiers- a system involving the issue of a carnet to road
hauliers which allows loaded vehicles to cross national frontiers with minimum
customs formalities.
Tariff
The terms and conditions and scale of charges- in the US trade the tariff must be
notified in advance to the FMC (see above)
Terminal
The port or deot at which containers are loaded or unloaded onto or from container
vessels, railways or trucks.
Waybill
A bill of lading that acts as receipt for the goods and evidence of the contract of
carriage. A wabill is a bill of lading that is not a document and can thus be defined
as follows :
a waybill is a receipt for goods;
a waybill is evidence of the contract;
a waybill is a non-negotiable document.
Under a waybill delivery will be effected to a nominated consignee upon proof of identity.
As a title it presents a personal contract between the shipper and the carrier only. There is
(at present) no mandatory law or convention and the parties have absolute freedom of