| 20' |
Standard Twenty Foot long shipping
container |
| 40' |
Standard Forty Foot long shipping
container |
| Arrival Notice |
A notification by carrier of
ship's arrival to the consignee, the "Notify
Party," and - when applicable - the "Also
Notify Party." These parties in interest are
listed in blocks 3, 4 and 10, respectively, of the
Bill of Lading. |
 |
| B/L |
Bill of Lading. A document that
establishes the terms of a contract between a shipper
and a transportation company. It serves as a document
of title, a contract of carriage and a receipt for
goods. |
| BAF |
Bunker Adjustment Factor - charged
by shipping companies to alleviate fluctuating Bunkering
costs ( Ship's fuel oil ). |
| Bonded Warehouse |
A warehouse authorized by Customs
authorities for storage of goods on which payment
of duties is deferred until the goods are removed. |
| Booking Reference
Number |
Reservation number used to secure
equipment and act as a control number prior to completion
of a B/L. |
| Break Bulk |
Loose, non-containerized cargo. |
| Bulk Cargo |
Not in packages or containers;
shipped loose in the hold of a ship without mark
and count." Grain, coal and sulfur are usually
bulk freight. |
|
| C&F |
Obsolete term of sale meaning
"cargo and freight" where Seller pays
for cost of goods and freight charges up to destination
port. Replaced with the term CFR in July 1990 by
the International Chamber of Commerce. |
| C.I. |
Abbreviation for "Cost and
Insurance." A price that includes the cost
of the goods, the marine insurance and all transportation
charges except the ocean freight to the named point
of destination. |
| CIF |
Cost, Insurance and Freight (
named port ) - Seller is responsible for all costs
as in C&F plus Marine Insurance of the cargo.
Same as C&F or CFR except seller also provides
insurance to named destination. |
| CIF&C |
Price includes commission as
well as CIF. |
| CIF&E |
Abbreviation for "Cost,
Insurance, Freight And Exchange." |
| CIFCI |
Abbreviation for "Cost,
Insurance, Freight, Collection And Interest." |
| CIFI&E |
Cost, Insurance, Freight, Interest
and Exchange. |
| CAF |
Currency Adjustment Factor -
charged by shipping companies to alleviate exchange
rate deficiencies. |
| CBM / M3 |
Cubic Metre |
| CFS |
Container Freight Station - usually
applies to LCL cargo where cargo is packed and then
despatched overseas and then has to be unpacked
at destination before delivery to consignee. Some
FCL traffic is also handled this way. e.g. Term
would be shown as CFS Melbourne to CFS Singapore. |
| COC |
Carrier's own container. When
shipper uses containers supplied by the carrier. |
| CU FT |
Cubic Feet - 33.315 cubic feet
= 1 cubic metre |
| CY |
Container Yard - usually shown
as CY / CY or CY Melbourne / CY Singapore and applies
to FCL's moving through the system. |
| Cartage |
Refers to intercity haulage by
trucks |
| Certificate of
Origin |
A certified document showing
the origin of goods; used in international commerce. |
| Commercial Invoice |
A complete record of the transaction
between exporter and importer with regard to the
goods sold. Also reports the content of the shipment
and serves as the basis for all other documents
in connection with the shipment. |
| Consignee |
A person or company to whom commodities
are shipped. |
| Consignee Marks |
A symbol or words placed on packages
for identification purposes; generally a triangle,
square, circle, etc. with letters and/or numbers
and port of discharge. |
| Consolidator |
A company that consolidates LCL
cargo into full container loads. The consolidator
takes advantage of lower FCL rates, and savings
are passed on to shippers. |
| Container |
A truck trailer body that can
be detached from the chassis for loading into a
vessel, a rail car or stacked in a container depot.
Containers may be ventilated, insulated, refrigerated,
flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid or
equipped with interior devices. A container may
be 20 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet or 53 feet
in length, 8'0" or 8'6" in width, and
8'6" or 9'6" in height. |
|
| DG |
Dangerous Cargo. Also known as
Hazardous Cargo. |
| DHC |
Depot Handling Charge. A fee
charged by the container yard for collection/delivery
of containers into and out of the depot. |
| D.O. |
Delivery Order - a cargo release
document given in exchange for an original Bill
of Lading. Issued by Shipping companies and Freight
Forwarders to enable Consignees to collect cargo/containers
ex wharf or depot. |
| Demurrage |
A penalty charge against shippers
or consignees for delaying the carrier's equipment
beyond the allowed free time. Currently carriers
in Singapore allow 2 days free demurrage after which
cargo will begin to incur storage. |
| Density |
The weight of cargo per cubic
foot. |
| Depot, Container |
Container freight station or
a designated area where empty containers can be
picked up or dropped off. |
| Detention |
A penalty charge against shippers
or consignees for delaying carrier's equipment beyond
allowed time. Demurrage applies to cargo; detention
applies to equipment. |
| Door to Door |
Through transportation of a container
and its contents from consignor to consignee. Also
known as House to House. Not necessarily a through
rate. |
|
| ETA |
Estimated Time of Arrival. Used
to indicate when vessel is due to arrive at port. |
| Ex Works |
Buyer bears all costs of transport
from Sellers premises to Buyers premises. |
| Export Permit |
Requirement by TDB (Trade Development
Board of Singapore) for all exports in order to
record the number of exports out of the country. |
|
| FAF |
Fuel adjustment factor. |
| FAK |
Freight All Kinds - mixed cargoes
packed in the one container. Mostly used by Freight
Forwarders consolidating a number of LCL shipments
to form FCL. |
| FCL |
Full Container Load |
| FEU |
Forty Foot Equivalent Unit i.e.
1x 40' Container |
| FIO |
Free In and Out. Cost of loading
and unloading a vessel is borne by the charterer/shipper. |
| F.O.B |
Seller is responsible for all
costs up to Free On Board ship at a named Port.
e.g. FOB Singapore. Buyer is responsible from "Ship's
rail". |
| Feeder Service |
Cargo to/from regional ports
are transferred to/from a central hub port for a
long-haul ocean voyage. |
| Feeder Vessel |
A short-sea vessel which transfers
cargo between a central "hub" port and
smaller "spoke" ports. |
| Free Trade Zone |
A port designated by the government
of a country for duty-free entry of any non-prohibited
goods. Merchandise may be stored, displayed, used
for manufacturing, etc., within the zone and re-exported
without duties. |
| Freight Pre-Paid |
Freight charges paid by the shipper
prior to the release of the bills of lading by the
carrier. |
|
| GST |
Goods and Services Tax - A tax
imposed by the government. In Singapore it is currently
pegged at 3% of CIF value on all general goods imported
into Singapore. Varying tariffs apply for dutiable
items such as alcohol and tobacco. |
| GRI |
Abbreviation for "General
Rate Increase." Used to describe an across-the-board
tariff rate increase implemented by conference members
and applied to base rates. |
| Gross Weight |
Entire weight of goods, packaging
and freight car or container, ready for shipment. |
|
| HBL |
House Bill of Lading (Bill of
Lading issued by a Freight Forwarder) |
| HS Codes |
Harmonized Codes. An international
goods classification system for describing cargo
in international trade under a single commodity-coding
scheme. |
| Heavy Lift Surcharge |
A charge made for lifting articles
too heavy to be lifted by a ship's normal tackle. |
|
| IMCO |
International Maritime Consultative
Organization. A forum in which most major maritime
nations participate and through which recommendations
for the carriage of dangerous goods, bulk commodities,
and maritime regulations become internationally
acceptable. |
| Import Permit |
Documentation required by Customs
in order to clear goods from the Free Trade Zone.
The import permit will also indicate the amount
of GST to be paid. |
| Inland Haulage |
Transportation that hauls export
or import traffic between ports and inland points. |
|
| KG |
Kilogram - 1000 = 1 Tonne |
|
| LBS / lbs |
Pounds - 2.204 lbs = 1kilogram |
| LCL |
Less than Container Load. |
| Letter of Credit |
Commercial instrument for organising
payments - some forms offer security and minimise
risk. Available through the Banks. |
| LO / LO |
Lift On / Lift Off - charges
levied by Terminal operators |
| Loose |
Cargo sent without packing |
|
| Marks/Markings |
Letters, numbers, and other symbols
placed on cargo packages to facilitate identification. |
| Negotiable B/L |
The B/L is a title document to
the goods, issued "to the order of" a
party, usually the shipper, whose endorsement is
required to effect is negotiation. Thus, a shipper's
order (negotiable) B/L can be bought, sold, or traded
while goods are in transit and is commonly used
for letter-of-credit transactions. The buyer must
submit the original B/L to the carrier in order
to take possession of the goods. |
| Net Weight |
Weight of the goods alone without
any immediate wrappings, e.g., the weight of the
contents of a tin can without the weight of the
can. |
| Non-Negotiable
B/L |
Indicates the shipper will deliver
the goods to the consignee. It does not convey title
(non-negotiable). Most often used when the goods
have been pre-paid. |
| NVOCC |
A cargo consolidator in ocean
trades who buy space from a carrier and sub-sell
it to smaller shippers. The NVOCC issues bills of
lading, publishes tariffs and otherwise conducts
itself as an ocean common carrier, except that it
will not provide the actual ocean or intermodal
service. |
|
| OBL |
Ocean Bill of Lading. A contract
for transportation between a shipper and a carrier.
It also evidences receipt of the cargo by the carrier.
A bill of lading shows ownership of the cargo and,
if made negotiable, can be bought, sold or traded
while the goods are in-transit. |
| Open Top Container |
A container fitted with a solid
removable roof, or with a tarpaulin roof so the
container can be loaded or unloaded from the top. |
| Over Height or
Long Length Cargo |
Cargo more than 243.84 cm (8
feet) high which thus cannot fit into a standard
container. |
|
| Packing List |
Itemized list of commodities
with marks/numbers but no cost values indicated. |
| Pallet |
A platform with or without sides,
on which a number of packages or pieces may be loaded
to facilitate handling by a lift truck. |
| Port of Discharge
(POD) |
Port at which cargo will be discharged
from the vessel |
| Port of Loading
(POL) |
Port at which cargo is loaded
onto vessel |
| Proof of Delivery |
- Port of Discharge.
- Port of Destination.
- Proof of Delivery. A document required from the
carrier or driver for proper payment. |
|
| Revenue Tonne |
A ton on which the shipment is
freighted. If cargo is rated as weight or measure
(W/M), whichever produces the highest revenue will
be considered the revenue ton. Weights are based
on metric tons and measures are based on cubic meters.
RT=1 MT or 1 CBM. |
| RO/RO |
A shortening of the term, "Roll
On/Roll Off." A method of ocean cargo service
using a vessel with ramps which allows wheeled vehicles
to be loaded and discharged without cranes. |
|
| SOC |
Shipper's own container |
| STC |
Said to contain. Used when describing
contents of packages. |
| Sea Waybill |
Document indicating the goods
were loaded onboard when a B/L is not needed. Typically
used when a company is shipping goods to itself. |
| Ships (Types of) |
Bulk Carriers: All vessels
designed to carry bulk cargo such as grain, fertilizers,
ore, and oil.
Combination Passenger and Cargo Ships:
Ships with a capacity for 13 or more passengers.
Freighters: Breakbulk vessels both refrigerated
and unrefrigerated, containerships, partial containerships,
roll-on/roll-off vessels, and barge carriers.
Barge Carriers: Ships designed to carry
barges; some are fitted to act as full containerships
and can carry a varying number of barges and containers
at the same time. At present this class includes
two types of vessels LASH and Sea-Bee.
General Cargo Carriers: Breakbulk freighters,
car carriers, cattle carriers, pallet carriers
and timber carriers.
Full Containerships: Ships equipped with
permanent container cells, with little or no space
for other types of cargo.
Partial Containerships: Multipurpose containerships
where one or more but not all compartments are
fitted with permanent container cells. Remaining
compartments are used for other types of cargo.
Roll-on/Roll-off vessels: Ships specially
designed to carry wheeled containers or trailers
using interior ramps.
Tankers: Ships fitted with tanks to carry
liquid cargo such as: crude petroleum and petroleum
products; chemicals, Liquefied gasses(LNG and
LPG), wine, molasses, and similar product tankers.
|
| Shipper |
The person or company who is
usually the supplier or owner of commodities shipped.
Also called Consignor. |
| Shipper's Instructions |
Shipper's communication to forwarder
or carrier advising consignee, notifiy party and
any other specific details or clauses to be printed
on the B/L, including directions for cargo pickup
and delivery. |
| Shipping Order
or Shipping Note |
Shipper's instructions to carrier
for forwarding goods. |
| Shrink Wrap |
Polyethylene or similar substance
heat-treated and shrunk into an envelope around
several units, thereby securing them as a single
pack for presentation or to secure units on a pallet. |
| Stuffing |
Putting cargo into a container. |
|
| TEU |
Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit i.e.
1x 20' Container |
| THC |
Terminal Handling Charge - levied
by shipping companies and reflects the local port
costs of stevedoring. |
| Terms of Sale |
The point at which sellers have
fulfilled their obligations so the goods in a legal
sense could be said to have been delivered to the
buyer. They are shorthand expressions that set out
the rights and obligations of each party when it
comes to transporting the goods. Following, are
the thirteen terms of sale in international trade
as Terms of Sale reflected in the recent amendment
to the International chamber of Commerce Terms of
Trade (INCOTERMS), effective July 1990:
EXW (Ex Works): A Term of Sale which means
that the seller fulfills the obligation to deliver
when he or she has made the goods available at
his/her premises (i.e., works, factory, warehouse,
etc.) to the buyer. In particular, the seller
is not responsible for loading the goods in the
vehicle provided by the buyer or for clearing
the goods for export, unless otherwise agreed.
The buyer bears all costs and risks involved in
taking the goods from the seller's premises to
the desired destination. This term thus represents
the minimum obligation for the seller.
FCA (Free Carrier): A Term of Sale which
means the seller fulfills their obligation when
he or she has handed over the goods, cleared for
export, into the charge of the carrier named by
the buyer at the named place or point. If no precise
point is indicated by the buyer, the seller may
choose, within the place or range stipulated,
where the carrier should take the goods into their
charge.
FAS (Free Alongside Ship): A Term of Sale
which means the seller fulfills his obligation
to deliver when the goods have been placed alongside
the vessel on the quay or in lighters at the named
port of shipment. This means that the buyer has
to bear all costs and risks of loss of or damage
to the goods from that moment.
FOB (Free On Board): An International
Term of Sale that means the seller fulfills his
or her obligation to deliver when the goods have
passed over the ship's rail at the named port
of shipment. This means that the buyer has to
bear all costs and risks to loss of or damage
to the goods from that point. The FOB term requires
the seller to clear the goods for export.
CFR (Cost and Freight): A Term of Sale
where the seller pays the costs and freight necessary
to bring the goods to the named port of destination,
Terms of Sale but the risk of loss of or damage
to the goods, as (continued) well as any additional
costs due to events occurring after the time the
goods have been delivered on board the vessel,
is transferred from the seller to the buyer when
the goods pass the ship's rail in the port of
shipment. The CFR term requires the seller to
clear the goods for export.
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): A Term
of Sale where the seller has the same obligations
as under the CFR but also has to procure marine
insurance against the buyer's risk of loss or
damage to the goods during the carriage. The seller
contracts for insurance and pays the insurance
premium. The CIF term requires the seller to clear
the goods for export.
CPT (Carriage Paid To): A Term of Sale
which means the seller pays the freight for the
carriage of the goods to the named destination.
The risk of loss of or damage to the goods, as
well as any additional costs due to events occurring
after the time the goods have been delivered to
the carrier, is transferred from the seller to
the buyer when the goods have been delivered into
the custody of the carrier. If subsequent carriers
are used for the carriage to the agreed upon destination,
the risk passes when the goods have been delivered
to the first carrier. The CPT term requires the
seller to clear the goods for export.
CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To):
A Term of Sale which means the seller has the
same obligations as under CPT, but with the addition
that the seller has to procure cargo insurance
against the buyer's risk of loss of or damage
to the goods during the carriage. The seller contracts
for insurance and pays the insurance premium.
The buyer should note that under the CIP term
the seller is required to obtain insurance only
on minimum coverage. The CIP term requires the
seller to clear the goods for export.
DAF (Delivered At Frontier): A Term of
Sale which means the sellers fulfill their obligation
to deliver when the goods have been made available,
cleared for export, at the named point and placed
at the frontier, but before the customs Terms
of Sale border of the adjoining country.
DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): A Term of
Sale where the seller fulfills his obligation
to deliver when the goods have been made available
at the named place in the country of importation.
The seller has to bear the costs and risks involved
in bringing the goods thereto (excluding duties,
taxes and other official charges payable upon
importation) as well as the costs and risks of
carrying out customs formalities. The buyer has
to pay any additional costs and to bear any risks
caused by failure to clear the goods for in time.
DDP (Delivered Duty paid): "Delivered
Duty Paid" means that the seller fulfills
his obligation to deliver when the goods have
been made available at the named place in the
country of importation. The seller has to bear
the risks and costs, including duties, taxes and
other charges of delivering the goods thereto,
clear for importation. While the EXW term represents
the minimum obligation for the seller, DDP represents
the maximum.
DES (Delivered Ex Ship): A Term of Sale
where the seller fulfills his/her obligation to
deliver when the goods have been made available
to the buyer on board the ship, uncleared for
import at the named port of destination. The seller
has to bear all the costs and risks involved in
bringing the goods to the named port destination.
DEQ (Delivered Ex Quay, [Duty Paid]):
A Term of Sale which means the DDU term has been
fulfilled when the goods have been available to
the buyer on the quay (wharf) at the named port
of destination, cleared for importation. The seller
has to bear all risks and costs including duties,
taxes and other charges of delivering the goods
thereto.
|
| Through Rate |
The total rate from the point
of origin to final destination |
| Transship |
To transfer goods from one transportation
line to another, or from one ship to another. |
|
| Unclaimed Freight |
Freight that has not been called
for or picked up by the consignee or owner. |
|
| War Risk |
Insurance coverage for loss of
goods resulting from any act of war. |
| Warehouse |
A place for the reception, delivery,
consolidation, distribution, and storage of goods/cargo. |
| Weights &
Measurements |
Measurement ton 40 cubic ft or
one cubic meter.
Net ton, or short ton 2,000 lbs.
Gross ton/long ton 2,240 lbs.
Metric ton/kilo ton 2,204.6 lbs.
Cubic meter 35.314 cubic ft.
|
| Wharfage |
Charge assessed by a pier or
dock owner against freight handled over the pier
or dock or against a steamship company using the
pier or dock. |
| W.M. (W/M) |
Abbreviation for "Weight
or Measurement;" the basis for assessing freight
charges. Also known as "worm." The rate
charged under W/M will be whichever produces the
highest revenue between the weight of the shipment
and the measure of the shipment. |
|
