| A
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| AAR |
|
Abbreviation
for Against All Risks (insurance clause). |
| |
|
|
| Abandon |
|
A
proceeding wherein a shipper/consignee seeks authority to abandon
all or parts of their cargo. |
| |
|
|
| Aboard |
|
Referring
to cargo being put, or laden, onto a means of conveyance. |
| |
|
|
| Absorption |
|
One
carrier assumes the charges of another without any increase
in charges to the shipper. |
| |
|
|
| Accessorial
Charges |
|
Charges
that are applied to the base tariff rate or base contract rate,
e.g., bunkers, container, currency, destination/delivery. |
| |
|
|
| Act
of God |
|
An
act beyond human control, such as lightning, flood or earthquake. |
| |
|
|
| Advising
Bank |
|
A
bank operating in the seller's country, that handles letters
of credit in behalf of a foreign bank. |
| |
|
|
| Agency
Tariff |
|
A
tariff published by an agent on behalf of several carriers. |
| |
|
|
| Agent
(Agt.) |
|
A
person authorized to transact business for and in the name of
another person or company. |
| |
|
|
| Aggregate
Shipment |
|
Numerous
shipments from different shippers to one consignee that are
consolidated and treated as a single consignment. |
| |
|
|
| Air
Waybill |
|
The
forwarding agreement or carrying agreement between shipper and
air carrier and is issued only in nonnegotiable form. |
| |
|
|
| All
In |
|
The
total price to move cargo from origin to destination, inclusive
of all charges. |
| |
|
|
| Alongside |
|
A
phrase referring to the side of a ship. Goods delivered "alongside"
are to be placed on the dock or barge within reach of the transport
ship's tackle so that they can be loaded. |
| |
|
|
| Anti-Dumping
Duty |
|
A
tariff imposed to discourage sale of foreign goods, subsidized
to sell at low prices detrimental to local manufacturers. |
| |
|
|
| Arrival
Notice |
|
A
notification by carrier of ship's arrival to the consignee,
the "Notify Party," and - when applicable - the "Also
Notify Party." |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| B
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| BAF |
|
Abbreviation
for "Bunker Adjustment Factor." Used to compensate
steamship lines for fluctuating fuel costs. Sometimes called
"Fuel Adjustment Factor" or FAF. |
| |
|
|
| Beneficiary |
|
-
Entity to whom money is payable.
- The entity for whom a letter of credit is issued.
- The seller and the drawer of a draft. |
| |
|
|
| Bill
of Exchange |
|
In
the United States, commonly known as a "Draft." However,
bill of exchange is the correct term. |
| |
|
|
| Bill
of Lading (B/L) |
|
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. |
| |
|
|
| Bill
of Sale |
|
Confirms
the transfer of ownership of certain goods to another person
in return for money paid or loaned. |
| |
|
|
| Blocking
or Bracing |
|
Wood
or metal supports (Dunnage) to keep shipments in place to prevent
cargo shifting. |
| |
|
|
| Bonded
Freight |
|
Freight
moving under a bond to U.S. Customs or to the Internal Revenue
Service, and to be delivered only under stated conditions. |
| |
|
|
| 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 |
|
Arrangements
with a carrier for the acceptance and carriage of freight; i.e.,
a space reservation. |
| |
|
|
| Bunker
Charge |
|
An
extra charge sometimes added to steamship freight rates; justified
by higher fuel costs. (Also known as Fuel Adjustment Factor
or FAF.) |
| |
|
|
| Bunkers |
|
A
Maritime term referring to Fuel used aboard the ship. Coal stowage
areas aboard a vessel in the past were in bins or bunkers. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| C
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Carnet |
|
A
Customs document permitting the holder to temporarily carry
or send merchandise into certain foreign countries (for display,
demonstration or similar purposes) without paying duties or
posting bonds. |
| |
|
|
| Cargo
Manifest |
|
A
manifest that lists all cargo carried on a specific vessel voyage. |
| |
|
|
| Carrier |
|
Any
person or entity who, in a contract of carriage, undertakes
to perform or to procure the performance of carriage by rail,
road, sea, air, inland waterway or by a combination of such
modes. |
| |
|
|
| Cartage |
|
Usually
refers to intracity hauling on drays or trucks. |
| |
|
|
| CBM
(CM) |
|
Abbreviation
for "Cubic Meter." |
| |
|
|
| Certificate
of Origin |
|
A
certified document showing the origin of goods; used in international
commerce. |
| |
|
|
| Clean
Bill of Lading |
|
A
receipt for goods issued by a carrier with an indication that
the goods were received in "apparent good order and condition,"
without damage or other irregularities. If no notation or exception
is made, the B/L is assumed to be "cleaned." |
| |
|
|
Commercial
Invoice
|
|
Represents
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 about
the shipment. |
| |
|
|
| Commodity |
|
Article
shipped. For dangerous and hazardous cargo, the correct commodity
identification is critical. |
| |
|
|
| Common
Carrier |
|
A
transportation company which provides service to the general
public at published rates. |
| |
|
|
| Confirmed
Letter of Credit |
|
A
letter of credit, issued by a foreign bank, whose validity has
been confirmed by a domestic bank. An exporter with a confirmed
letter of credit is assured of payment even if the foreign buyer
or the foreign bank defaults. |
| |
|
|
| Confirming
Bank |
|
The
bank that adds its confirmation to another bank's (the issuing
bank's) letter of credit and promises to pay the beneficiary
upon presentation of documents specified in the letter of credit. |
| |
|
|
Consignee
|
|
A
person or company to whom commodities are shipped. |
| |
|
|
| Consignment |
|
A
shipment of goods to a consignee. |
| |
|
|
| Consignor |
|
A
person or company shown on the bill of lading as the shipper. |
| |
|
|
| Consolidation |
|
Cargo
containing shipments of two or more shippers or suppliers. Containerload
shipments may be consolidated for one or more consignees. |
| |
|
|
| Consular
Invoice |
|
A
document, certified by a consular official, is required by some
countries to describe a shipment. Used by Customs of the foreign
country, to verify the value, quantity and nature of the cargo. |
| |
|
|
| 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. |
| |
|
|
| Contraband
|
|
Cargo
that is prohibited. |
| |
|
|
| Customhouse
|
|
A
government office where duties are paid, import documents filed,
etc., on foreign shipments. |
| |
|
|
| Customhouse
Broker |
|
A
person or firm, licensed by the treasury department of their
country when required, engaged in entering and clearing goods
through Customs for a client (importer). |
| |
|
|
| Customs |
|
Government
agency charged with enforcing the rules passed to protect the
country's import and export revenues. |
| |
|
|
| Customs
Entry |
|
All
countries require that the importer make a declaration on incoming
foreign goods. The importer then normally pays a duty on the
imported merchandise. The importer's statement is compared against
the carrier's vessel manifest to ensure that all foreign goods
are properly declared. |
| |
|
|
| Customs
Invoice |
|
A
form requiring all data in a commercial invoice along with a
certificate of value and/or a certificate of origin. Required
in a few countries (usually former British territories) and
usually serves as a seller's commercial invoice. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| D
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Demurrage |
|
A
penalty charge against shippers or consignees for delaying the
carrier's equipment beyond the allowed free time. |
| |
|
|
| Diversion |
|
A
change made either in the route of a shipment in transit . |
| |
|
|
| Door-to-Door
|
|
Through
transportation of a shipment from consignor to consignee. |
| |
|
|
| Draft |
|
An
unconditional order in writing, addressed by one party (drawer)
to another party (drawee), requiring the drawee to pay at a
fixed or determinable future date a specified sum in lawful
currency to the order of a specified person. |
| |
|
|
| Drawback |
|
A
partial refund of an import fee. Refund usually results because
goods are re-exported from the country that collected the fee. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| E
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Embargo |
|
Order
to restrict the hauling of freight. |
| |
|
|
| Entry |
|
Customs
documents required to clear an import shipment for entry into
the general commerce of a country. |
| |
|
|
| ETA |
|
Estimated
time of arrival. |
| |
|
|
| Export
License |
|
A
government document which permits the "Licensee" to
engage in the export of designated goods to certain destinations. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| F
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| FCL |
|
Abbreviation
for "Full Container Load." |
| |
|
|
| Force
Majeure |
|
The
title of a common clause in contracts, exempting the parties
for non-fulfillment of their obligations as a result of conditions
beyond their control, such as earthquakes, floods or war. |
| |
|
|
| Foreign
Trade Zone |
|
A
free port in a country divorced from Customs authority but under
government control. Merchandise, except that which is prohibited,
may be stored in the zone without being subject to import duty
regulations. |
| |
|
|
| 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 |
|
Refers
to either the cargo carried or the charges assessed for carriage
of the cargo. |
| |
|
|
| Freight
Forwarder |
|
A
person whose business is to act as an agent on behalf of the
shipper. A freight forwarder frequently makes the booking reservation,
prepares export documentation, and handles all formalities involved
with a shipment. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| G
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Gateway |
|
A
point at which freight moving from one territory to another
is interchanged between transportation lines. |
| |
|
|
| General
Order (G.O.) |
|
When
U.S. Customs orders shipments without entries to be kept in
their custody in a bonded warehouse. |
| |
|
|
| Gross
Weight |
|
Entire
weight of goods, packaging and freight car or container, ready
for shipment. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| H
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| HAZ
MAT |
|
An
industry abbreviation for "Hazardous Material." |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| I
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Import
License |
|
A
document required and issued by some national governments authorizing
the importation of goods. |
| |
|
|
| In
Bond |
|
Cargo
moving under Customs control where duty has not yet been paid. |
| |
|
|
| INCOTERMS
|
|
The
recognized abbreviation for the International Chamber of Commerce
Terms of Sale. These terms were last amended, effective July
1, 1990. |
| |
|
|
| Inland
Carrier |
|
A
transportation line that hauls export or import traffic between
ports and inland points. |
| |
|
|
| Interline
Freight |
|
Freight
moving from origin to destination over the Freight lines of
two or more transportation carriers. |
| |
|
|
| Intermodal |
|
Used
to denote movements of cargo containers interchangeably between
transport modes, i.e., motor, water, and air carriers, and where
the equipment is compatible within the multiple systems. |
| |
|
|
| Irrevocable
Letter of Credit |
|
Letter
of credit in which the specified payment is guaranteed by the
bank if all terms and conditions are met by the drawee and which
cannot be revoked without joint agreement of both the buyer
and the seller. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| J
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| JIT |
|
Abbreviation
for "Just In Time." In this method of inventory control,
warehousing is minimal or non-existent; the container is the
movable warehouse and must arrive "just in time;"
not too early nor too late. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| K
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Kilogram |
|
1,000
grams or 2.2046 pounds. |
| |
|
|
| Known
Loss |
|
A
loss discovered before or at the time of delivery of a shipment. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| L
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| L/C |
|
Abbreviation
for "Letter of Credit." |
| |
|
|
| LCL |
|
Abbreviation
for "Less than Container Load." The quantity of freight
which is less than that required for the application of a container
load rate. Loose Freight. |
| |
|
|
| Letter
of Credit (LC) |
|
A
document, issued by a bank per instructions by a buyer of goods,
authorizing the seller to draw a specified sum of money under
specified terms, usually the receipt by the bank of certain
documents within a given time. |
| |
|
|
| Line-Haul
|
|
Transportation
from one city to another as differentiated from local switching
service. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| M
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Manifest |
|
Document
that lists in detail all the bills of lading issued by a carrier
or its agent or master for a specific shipment. |
| |
|
|
| Marking |
|
Letters,
numbers, and other symbols placed on cargo packages to facilitate
identification. Also known as marks. |
| |
|
|
| Multimodal |
|
Synonymous
for all practical purposes with "Intermodal." |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| N
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Net
Weight |
|
Weight
of the goods alone without any immediate wrappings, e.g., the
weight of the contents of a box without the weight of the box
or packing materials. |
| |
|
|
| NVOCC |
|
Abbreviation
for Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier. A cargo consolidator
in ocean trades who will 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. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| O
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Original
Bill of Lading (OBL) |
|
A
document which requires proper signatures for consummating carriage
of contract. Must be marked as "original" by the issuing
carrier. |
| |
|
|
| OS&D |
|
Abbreviation
for "Over, Short or Damaged" Usually discovered at
cargo unloading. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| P
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 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. |
| |
|
|
| POD |
|
Abbreviation
for Proof of Delivery. A document required from the carrier
or driver for proper payment. |
| |
|
|
| Port
of Entry |
|
Port
where cargo is unloaded and enters a country. |
| |
|
|
| Port
of Exit |
|
Place
where cargo is loaded and leaves a country. |
| |
|
|
| Prepaid
(Ppd.) |
|
Freight
charges paid by the consignor (shipper) prior to the release
of the bills of lading by the carrier. |
| |
|
|
| Pro
Forma Invoice |
|
An
invoice provided by a supplier prior to the shipment of merchandise,
informing the buyer of the kinds and quantities of goods to
be sent, their value, and specifications (weight, size, etc.).
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Q
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Quotation |
|
An
offer to sell goods or services at a stated price and under
stated terms. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| R
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| RFQ |
|
Abbreviation
for Request for quotation. |
| |
|
|
| "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. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| S
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Sanction |
|
An
embargo imposed by a Government against another country. |
| |
|
|
Schedule
B
|
|
The
Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities
Exported from the United States. |
| |
|
|
| SED |
|
U.S.
Commerce Department document, "Shipper's Export Declaration."
|
| |
|
|
| Shipment |
|
The
tender of one lot of cargo at one time from one shipper to one
consignee on one bill of lading or air waybill. |
| |
|
|
| Shipper |
|
The
person or company who is usually the supplier or owner of commodities
shipped. Also called Consignor. |
| |
|
|
| Shipper's
Export Declaration |
|
A
joint Bureau of the Census' International Trade Administration
form used for compiling U.S. exports. It is completed by a shipper
and shows the value, weight, destination, etc., of export shipments
as well as Schedule B commodity code. |
| |
|
|
| Shipper's
Letter of Instructions |
|
The
document required by the carrier or freight forwarders to obtain
(besides the data needed) authorization to issue and sign the
air waybill in the name of the shipper. |
| |
|
|
| Shrink
Wrap |
|
A
method of wrapping and sealing materials in plastic for protection
during transportation or storage or to secure multiple units
on a single pallet. |
| |
|
|
| Surcharge |
|
An
extra or additional charge. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| T
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Terminal
Charge |
|
A
charge made for a service performed in a carrier's terminal
area. |
| |
|
|
| Transship |
|
To
transfer goods from one transportation line to another, or from
one ship to another. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| U
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Unit
Load |
|
Packages
loaded on a pallet, in a crate or any other way that enables
them to be handled at one time as a unit. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| V
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Validated
Export License |
|
A
document issued by the U.S. government; authorizes the export
of commodities for which written authorization is required by
law. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| W
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 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. |
| |
|
|
| 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. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| XYZ
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Yard |
|
A
classification, storage or switching area. |
| |
|
|
| Zulu
Time |
|
Time
based on G |
