Shipping Glossary

A

Activity Based Costing
ABS
An accounting system that measures the cost and performance of specific activities performed within an organisation. For example, an ABC approach might measure the cost incurred by the accounts receivable department in handling calls for billing errors, whereas the traditional accounting approach ignores the activity and measures the cost of the accounts receivable department as a percentage of revenue.
 
Accessorial
AC
Accessorial Service - Service rendered by a carrier in addition to transportation services. (e.g. sorting, packing, precooling, heating and storage.)
 
All Inclusive
AI
All Inclusive
 
Any Quantity
AQ
A rating that applies to an item regardless of weight.
 
Assignment
AS
1. The transfer to another of one's own legal interests or rights. 2. Especially the transfer of property to be held in trust or to be used for the benefit of creditors. 3. The document by which such an interest or right is transferred.
 
Artificial Tween Decks
ATD
Artificial Tween Decks Forty feet long, eight feet wide, one foot thick steel platform with hardwood flooring. Equipped with ten bullrings for securing oversized, heavy lift or wheeled cargo.
 

B

Bay

Section of vessel in which containers are held.

 

Bill of Lading
BL
Legal document signed by or for the captain/master, agents, owners of a vessel or the (common) carrier. It is written evidence of the contract of carriage by sea and/or by land. It is (1) A receipt of the goods (in the owner's/carrier's or his/their agent's custody) and (2) An undertaking to carry and deliver the goods safely to the place directed/agreed, dangers of the sea excepted, against (3) Surrender of the document where/when provisions in the document stipulate delivery to order of a named person, to order (blank) or to bearer 4) It evidences the terms of the contract of carriage.
 
Booking
BOOKING
1. Act of recording arrangements for the movement/transportation of goods by vessel or other conveyance. 2. To express in advance a desire for something in order to reserve it e.g. transportation of goods. 3. Also known as a booking request.
 

C

Cargo Declaration Amendment Fee
CAM
A fee that covers re-submission of necessary information required by Customs due to an amendment request that is made by the customer after the carrier has submitted the documentation to local customs authorities. Import countries where this is applicable: - European Union - Norway - Switzerland - United States - Canada - Puerto Rico - Mexico
 
Container Cleaning Fee
CCL
This fee covers the additional costs for extra or special cleaning and is applicable when the container does not meet the standard cleanliness criteria (inside and outside) upon empty return from the customer. This service of additional cleaning of the container may also be triggered by a customer request. This charge is not applicable to shipper-owned containers.
 
Controlled Atmosphere Service
CAS
Controlled Atmosphere (CA) charge covers the additional costs associated with providing a special atmosphere controlled refrigerated container for transportation. These types of containers ensure the gas mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide is regulated and are offered in two different products: 1) Star Fresh: Active CA 2) Star Care: Passive CA Applicable when the carrier receives a request for this type of container. For more information please click here.
 
Currency Adjustment Factor
CAF
This is a compensatory cost-sharing measure to remove the carrier’s risks associated with currency fluctuations. An overview of CAF calculations can be found here. The charge will apply to all bookings that are taken on these trade lanes. It is applicable primarily, but not limited, to European trades, e.g.: Europe - Far East Europe - Middle East/Red Sea/Indian Sub-Continent US to/from Europe
 

D

Delivery Duty Unpaid

DDU

A transaction in international trade where the seller is responsible for making a safe delivery of goods to a named destination, paying all transportation expenses but not the duty. The seller bears the risks and costs associated with supplying the good to the delivery location, where the buyer becomes responsible for paying the duty and other customers clearing expenses.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Delivered Duty Unpaid - DDU'

Incoterms, like DDU, are contract specifications outlining who bears the costs and risks of international transactions. Some incoterms specify where in the transaction process the delivery risks shift from seller to buyer, while others determine who incurs expenses.

It's important to realize that because this is a legal term, its exact definition is much more complicated and differs by country. It is suggested that you contact an international trade lawyer before using any trade term.

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E

Earnings

Income after a company's taxes and all other expenses have been paid. Also called profit or net income.

 
EIR
Equipment Interchange Receipt. A document used to receive or deliver a full or empty container/chassis at any terminal or inland container pool/depot.
 
EAN 8
EAN barcodes are used when the country origin needs to be known. There are 8 digits in EAN 8, where the first two characters are used to define the country of origin, the next 5 are data, followed by the checksum. Both 2 and 5 digit supplementals are also supported.
 
Error List
EL
Report showing discrepancies (errors) in data input.
 

F

 

Feeder
F
Transportation conveyance utilised to relay cargo from the mother vessel to ultimate destination or from first receipt port to mother vessel.
 
Floating Cranes
FC
Heavy duty cranes that are able to handle exceptionally heavy cargo if unable to use conventional gantry cranes.
 
For-Hire Carriers
FHC
Persons or firms engaged in the transportation of goods or passengers for compensation. Classified into two general categories, specialised and general freight motor carriers.
 
Freight Bill
FB
Destination (Collect) Freight Bill: Prepaid Freight Bill. (1) Bill rendered by a transportation line to consignee containing description of freight shipper name, point of origin and weight charges (if not prepaid). (2) Bill rendered by a transportation line to shipper containing description of freight, consignee, destination and weight charges.
 
Freight Forwarder
FF
(1) Person engaged in assembling, collecting, consolidating shipping and distributing less than trailerload freight. (2) Also, a person acting as an agent in the transshipping of freight to or from foreign countries and clearing freight through federal customs.
 

G

 

Gantry Crane
G
Gantry Crane Port crane used to load and discharge containers from vessels, can be positioned by moving along rail tracks.
 

H

 

Handling Costs

The cost involved in transferring, preparing and otherwise contracting inventory.

Hangertainer

Specialised container equipped with hanger beams for the purpose of stowing garments on hangers.

Harmless Chemicals

A cargo description, which is a contradiction of terms. A chemical is a substance and whether it is harmless or not, depends on the context in which the substance appears or is used. Maersk Line does not accept harmless chemicals as a valid cargo description on the shipping documents.

 

I

 

Independent Action
IA
Independent Action.
A carrier can take an independent action in a conference, resulting in a unique rate for that carrier within a conference; ability to file a rate independently of other carriers' actions.
 
Intermodal Marketing Company
IMC
Consolidates container loads or piggyback trailers from several shippers and contracts with railroads for volume space.
 
International Maritime Control Organisation
IMCO
International Maritime Control Organisation. See IMO.
 
IMCO Classification
IMCO CLASSIFICATION
International Maritime Control Organisation classification for hazardous cargo.
 
Imports
IMPORTS
Goods and services which one country's residents purchase and transport from another country into their own country.
 
Inbound
INBOUND
Import Shipment.
 
INCO Terms
INCO TERMS
Incoterms 2000 is the latest version of ICC's standard trade definitions, commonly known as the INCO terms. The terms consist of 13 rules which are fundamental to international trade, defining the most important responsibilities of buyers and sellers in international sales contracts. Incoterms are a basic reference for sales contracts, recognised as the international standard by customs authorities and courts everywhere. Since they were first published in 1936, Incoterms - a trademarked ICC product - have been updated six times.
 
Independent Action
INDEPENDENT ACTION
 
A separate action taken by an individual member of a conference agreement to change rates or terms of carriage as laid out in the conference agreements.
 
Independent Carrier
INDEPENDENT CARRIER
Carrier that is not a member of a shipping conference.
 
Inland Carrier
INLAND CARRIER
Transportation company which hauls imports or exports between ports and inland points.
 
Insurance Certificate
INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
Document which assures the consignee that insurance is provided to cover loss or damage to the cargo while in transit.
A certificate issued by an insurer to a shipper (or other party) as evidence that a shipment of merchandise is covered under a marine policy.
 
Integrated Carriers
INTEGRATED CARRIERS
Carriers that have both air and ground fleets or other combinations, such as sea, rail and truck. They usually handle thousands of small parcels an hour.
 
Interleaved 2 of 5
INTERLEAVED 2 OF 5
This is strictly a numeric barcode. Each encoded character is made up of five elements, two are wide and three are narrow. The number of characters to be printed must be an even number. If the number of characters to be printed is odd, a zero will be appended to the beginning of the code.
 
Intermodal
INTERMODAL
Coordinated transport of freight, especially in connection with relatively long-haul movements, using any combination of freight forwarders, piggy-back, containerisation, air freight, assemblers, rail and road.
 
International Freight Forwarders
INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDERS
Freight torwarders that handle booking, paperwork and consolidation of exports.
 
Inventory Carrying Costs
INVENTORY CARRYING COSTS
Generally, carrying costs or holding costs are financial measurements that calculate all the costs associated with holding goods in storage. It includes inventory-in-storage, warehousing, obsolescence, deterioration, spoilage and labour costs, as well as insurance and taxes. “
 
 
Inventory Turnover
INVENTORY TURNOVER
The cost of goods sold, divided by the average level of inventory on hand. The ratio measures how many times a company's inventory has been sold during the year.
 
Inventory Velocity
INVENTORY VELOCITY
The speed with which products move from receiving dock to shipping dock.
 
IPI
IPI
Inland Point Intermodal.
Cargo moving via land from/to an inland point.
See also Micro Bridge.
 
ISA
ISA
Information System Agreement.
Leading organisation of ocean carriers that develops, promotes and implements electronic commerce solutions for the maritime industry.
 
IT
IT
(1) Immediate Transportation Entry: refers to an IT entry (U.S. Customs). Allows the cargo to move beyond the vessel entry point in bond for customs clearance at the destination named in the I.T. movement from one customs district to another, e.g. cargo entering the U.S. at Los Angeles destined for Chicago can move to Chicago before having a customs inspection.
(2) Information Technology: A generic term for people or systems working toward business improvement.
 
ITIGG
ITIGG

International Transport Implementation Guidelines Group.
ITIGG is an international group of experts engaged in the development and implementation of UN/EDIFACT-standard messages for electronic trading in the transport industry.

ITIGG is a subgroup of D4, the UN/EDIFACT Message Development Group for Transport.

ITIGG develops recommendations which provide software developers with a series of simple, straightforward tools to assist in designing applications which can be used for trading electronically throughout the world, and to clarify the intentions of the designers of key UN/EDIFACT messages.

 

J

 

Just-In-Time
JIT
In this method of inventory control, warehousing is minimal or non-existent; the container is the moveable warehouse and must arrive "just in time," i.e. not too early and not too late.
 
Journal of Commerce
JOC
Journal of Commerce A trade publication. Trade transportation journal.
 
Joint Rate
JOINT RATE
A rate from a point located on one transportation line to a point on another transportation line which is published in a single tariff.
 
Jones Act
JONES ACT
Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, requiring that all shipments by water between ports in the United States (including Puerto Rico) be carried by U.S.-flag, be U.S.-built, and U.S.-crewed vessels.
 

L

 

Label Cargo
LABEL CARGO
Cargo, including all commodities, requiring a label according to the provisions of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.
 
Land Bridge
LAND BRIDGE
Containers moving from a foreign country by vessel, and then sent to an inland point in the U.S. or elsewhere by land transportation (rail or truck). See also MLB.
 
Letter of Credit
LC
(1) Letter of agreement issued by a bank stating a foreign purchaser has established a line of credit in a seller's favour, and confirming that payment for goods will be made upon presentation of certain documents which are in agreement with terms on the letter of credit.
(2) A letter addressed by a banker to a correspondent certifying that a person named therein is entitled to draw on him or his credit up to a certain sum.
(3) A letter addressed by a banker to a person, to whom credit is given, authorising him to draw on the issuing bank or on a bank in his country up to a certain sum and guaranteeing to accept the drafts if duly made, also called commercial letter of credit, confirmed credit or confirmed letter of credit.
Letters of credit may take various forms, represent various undertakings for various purposes and be subject to different conditions.
 
Less Than Container Load
LCL
Common term for an amount of goods to be shipped and which do not fill an entire container. Ocean rates for LCL are commonly higher on a per-unit basis than for a full container load. Thus, consolidation of several LCL loads from different places or shippers into a full container can save on costs.
 
Line Haul
LINE HAUL
Marine portion of a vessel's route covering the greatest distance, usually across an ocean (e.g. Singapore-Los Angeles).
 
LNG Carrier
LNG CARRIER
Liquified Natural Gas Carrier.
 
Logistics
LOGISTICS
The management of freight and information throughout the total supply chain from the original raw material source to the ultimate consumer of the finished product, encompasing factories, assembly and packing plants, warehouses, distribution centres and retail outlets.
 
Longshoreman
LONGSHOREMAN
Also known as stevedore.
Worker who loads and unloads a ship. Terminal operator who is designed to facilitate the operation of loading and discharging vessels, as well as other terminal activities.
 
LT
LT
Long Ton
1 Long Ton = 2,240 lbs
 
Less Than Trailer Load
LTL
See "Less Than Container Load" (LCL).
 

M

 

Manifest
MANIFEST
Entire listing of all cargo on board a vessel as required by the relevant local authorities e.g. customs.
Same as cargo manifest.
 
Marks and Numbers
MARKS AND NUMBERS
The identifying details on or of a package or the actual markings that appear on the packages.
 
Materials Management
MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
The procurement, movement and management of materials and products from acquisition through to production.
 
Merchant Haulage Service
MERCHANT HAULAGE SERVICE

Service of coordinating 3rd party logistics services (Merchant Haulage arrangements) on behalf of the customer.

This service is applied based upon the customer's request for the carrier to coordinate inland haulage on a merchant haulage Bill of Lading. The customer holds the contract with the haulage provider.

The carrier can refuse to offer this service.

 

 

Mixed Shipment
MIXED SHIPMENT
Shipment consisting of items described in and rated under two or more rate items within a tariff.
 
MLB
MLB
An abbreviation for Mini Land Bridge Containers moving from a foreign country by vessel, and then sent to an inland point in the U.S. or elsewhere by land transportation (rail or truck). See also Land Bridge.
 
Mother Vessel
MOTHER VESSEL
Main ocean vessel in a liner service designated to move containers from set origin points to set destination ports/points on a regular basis.
 
This barcode is a variable length barcode that can encode up to 15 numeric digits. Checksum generation is dependent on the value of the checksum parameter. The following table indicates the value of the checksum property and the type of checksum created. Setting, Description, 0, one modulus 10 checksum, 1, two modulus 10 checksums, 2, one modulus 11 checksum/one modulus 10 checksum.
 
Metric Ton
MT
Metric Ton.
1 MT = 2,204.62lbs or 35.314 cft.
 

N

 

Negotiable Bill of Lading
NEGOTIABLE BILL OF LADING
Something that can be negotiated, transferred or assigned from one person to another in return for equivalent value by being delivered either with endorsement (as of an instrument to order) or without endorsement (as of an instrument to bearer) so that the title passes to the transferee who is not prejudiced in his rights by any defect or flaw in the title of prior parties nor by personal defenses available to prior parties among themselves provided in both cases that the transferee is a bona fide holder without notice e.g. bills of lading, bills of exchange, promissory notes, and cheques that are payable to bearer or order are negotiable instruments, as are also, in some jurisdictions, some other instruments (as bonds, some forms of stock) i.e. negotiable paper/negotiable securities. "Negotiable" used analogously for "transferable" - see also negotiability/transferability.
 
Negotiating Bank
NEGOTIATING BANK

Bank where a shipper negotiates documents or where documents are first presented, usually at country of origin.

Also, often referred to as the advising bank.

 

 

Nested
NESTED
Three or more different sizes of the same item or commodity which must be enclosed, each smaller piece within the next larger piece, or three or more of the items must be placed one within the other so that the top item does not project above the lower item by more than 1/3 of its height.
Nested Solid: Three or more of items must be placed on or inside the other, so that the external side surfaces of the top item is in contact with the internal side surfaces of the item below, and the top item does not project above the next lower item by more than 1/2 inch.
 
Neutral Body
NEUTRAL BODY
Investigating body designated by conference carriers to ensure that all regulations and rules are adhered to.
 
Not Otherwise Enumerated
NOE
Not Otherwise Enumerated
 
Non-Asset-Based Third Party Providers
NON-ASSET-BASED THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS
Third party providers who generally do not own assets, such as transportation and/or warehouse equipment.
 
Non-Negotiable Bill of Lading
NON-NEGOTIABLE BILL OF LADING
A document not made out "to order", but being a receipt and evidence of the contract of carriage, but which is not a document of title, e.g. a waybill and, in some jurisdictions (such as the USA), a (straight) consigned bill of lading.
 
 
Not Otherwise Stated
NOS
Not Otherwise Stated.
 
 
Notify Party
NOTIFY PARTY
Company/person who appears on the bill of lading or waybill to be notified when the cargo arrives at destination. Could be different from the consignee, but is often the actual receiver of the goods. A notify party has no particular rights (beyond the notification) under the bill of lading or waybill.
 
Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier
NVOCC
Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier
Carrier offering an international cargo transport service through the use of underlying carriers and under their own rate structure in accordance with tariffs filed with the Federal Maritime Commission in Washington D.C.
 

O

 

Original Bill of Lading
OBL
Original bill of lading.
See also Negotiable Bill of Lading.
 
Overland Common Port
OCP
A special rate concession made by shipping lines, rail carriers and truckers serving the U.S. West Coast for export and import traffic, intended to benefit midwest shippers and importers by equalising rates to and from other coastal areas, and offering these midwest companies a comparable alternative. The steamship companies lower their rates and the inland carriers pick up the terminal charges, which consist of handling charges, wharfage charges and car loading or unloading charges. OCP rates apply to cargo shipped from or consigned to the states of: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and all states east thereof. OCP rates in Canada apply to the provinces of: Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
 
Origin Motor Terminal, Origin Rail Terminal, Destination Motor Terminal
OMT, ORT, DMT
Origin Motor Terminal, Origin Rail Terminal, Destination Motor Terminal.
Location designated by a motor/rail carrier at origin/destination points where, the motor carrier or his authorised agent assembles, holds or stores an ocean carrier's containers and chassis; where loaded containers are received from shippers or their agents; where empty containers are delivered to shippers or their agents.
 
On-Carriage
ON-CARRIAGE

Service of providing inland import transportation to our customer’s premises from the port of discharge. This offers the customer flexibility of door to door transportation.

This service is applicable when the carrier provides inland transportation to the desired inland location, based on the request of the customer.

 

 

On Deck Stowage
ON DECK STOWAGE
Cargo stowed on the deck of the vessel.
 
 
On-Time Performance
ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
The proportion of time that a transit system adheres to its published schedule times within stated tolerances.
 
Open Rates
OPEN RATES
Rates established for each individual carrier. These rates are listed in a tariff list but may differ according to carrier.
 
Order Cycle
ORDER CYCLE
This includes the time and the process involved from the placement of the order to the receipt of the shipment. It includes the following processes: Communicating the order, order processing, transporting the shipment.
 
Outbound
OUTBOUND
Export shipments.
 
Out of Gauge Service
OUT OF GAUGE SERVICE

The service is to handle and ship cargo that is "out-of-gauge". This is to provide the ability to ship cargo which exceeds the dimensions of standard containers by length, width, height and/or weight, but which still remains feasible for the carrier to handle as 'containerized cargo'.

This fee is applicable to out of gauge shipments.

 

Outport
OUTPORT
Destination port, other than a base port, to which rates apply but which may be subject to additional outport arbitraries.
 
Outsource
OUTSOURCE
To hire a third-party provider to assume tasks previously performed in-house.
 
Over Landed
OVER LANDED
 
(1) Cargo volume count more than originally shipped.
(2) Cargo taken beyond original port of discharge.
 

P

 

Packing List
PACKING LIST
List of packages for each shipment, showing individual breakdown in weights/measure and quantity.
 
Pallet
PALLET
Wooden structure used to support cargo and ease movement by forklifts.
 
Partlow Chart
PARTLOW CHART
A chart that indicates the temperature reading in a reefer container.
 
Partnerships and Alliances
PARTNERSHIPS AND ALLIANCES
Shippers and providers who enter into agreements designed to benefit both parties.
 
Per Diem
PER DIEM
On a daily basis.
 
Physical Distribution
PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION
All logistics activities from the production line to the final user, including traffic, packaging, materials handling, warehousing, order entry, customer service, inventory control etc.
 
Pier
PIER
A structure built away from land and extending some distance over water, often used for docking boats.
Also known as a wharf.
 
Piggyback
PIGGYBACK
The transportation of highway trailers or demountable trailer bodies on specially equipped rail flat cars.
 
Pilferage
PILFERAGE
Cargo stolen from the container, warehouse or terminal.
 
Plimsoll Mark
PLIMSOLL MARK
Depth to which a vessel may safely load. Identified by a circle on the vessel's side with a vertical line through and a number of small horizontal lines showing the max depth for summer and winter.
 
Positioning
POSITIONING
The moving of empty equipment from surplus areas to deficit areas.
 
POSTNET
The POSTNET barcode is used on envelopes and postcards that are sent through the U.S. Postal Service. This barcode is placed in the lower right-hand corner of the envelope.
 
Pre - Carriage
PRE - CARRIAGE

Service of providing inland export transportation from our customer’s premises to the port of loading. This offers the customer the flexibility of door to door transportation.

This service is applicable when the carrier provides inland transportation from the desired inland location, based on the request of the customer.

 

 

Pre-Trip Inspection Service
PRE-TRIP INSPECTION SERVICE

A service arranged by the carrier to have a technician perform an extra check on temperature controlled containers to ensure that the unit is functional and ready to transport commodities at the required temperature settings.

The inspection is performed before release of the empty container.

This service is applied upon the customer’s request and/or to certain types of commodities where it is mandatory to be applied in order to permit transport of the shipment.

 

 

Purchase Order
PURCHASE ORDER
Common grouping of orders for goods/services. Several SKU categories may be listed on one purchase order. Most customers group their orders in a particular way to facilitate distribution at the other end. For example, one purchase order for an apparel importer might encompass 2 dozen green sweaters and 2 dozen red sweaters. If those P.O.s originated from the same store, it is simple for the store to put all items under that P.O. onto the right truck.
 

Q

 

Quick Response
QR
A consumer-driven system of replenishment in which high-quality products and accurate information flow through a paperless (EDI) system between all distribution points from the manufacturing line to the retail checkout counter. Distributors, carriers and suppliers act as trading partners and focus on improving the total supply system.
 
Quality Control
QUALITY CONTROL
The systematic planning, measuring and control of a combination of people, materials, metrology and machines, with the objective of producing a product that satisfies the quality and profitability of the enterprise.
 
Quay
QUAY
A pier, wharf or other structure built along a shore for landing, loading and unloading boats or ships.
 
Quitclaim
QUITCLAIM
A legal instrument used to release one person's right, title or interest to another without providing a guarantee or warranty of title.
 

R

 

Railhead
RAILHEAD
Location for loading and unloading containers at railroad terminal.
 
Rate Agreement
RATE AGREEMENT
Group of carriers who discuss rates and common problems with options to file independent tariffs.
 
Received for Shipment Bill of Lading
RECEIVED FOR SHIPMENT BILL OF LADING
Can be issued on the carrier's actual receipt or taking custody of goods, if requested goods are not yet necessarily loaded on board a vessel or other conveyance. This form of bill of lading would usually be switched to an on board bill of lading or added as an on board notation upon the actual loading of goods on board a vessel or other conveyance.
 
Re-engineering
RE-ENGINEERING
An approach to improving business operations through reinventing, reevaluating, redesigning and redoing.
 
Register Ton
REGISTER TON
A unit of interior capacity of ships.
1 Register Ton = 100 cubic feet or 2,832 cubic metres.
Also known as vessel ton.
 
Relay
RELAY
Marine shipment that is transferred to its ultimate destination port after having been shipped to an intermediate point.
 
Replenishment
REPLENISHMENT
The process of moving the inventory of an item from a reserve storage location to the primary picking location or to another mode of storage in which picking is performed.
 
Return Cargo
RETURN CARGO
Cargo to be returned to original place of receipt.
 
Revenue Ton
REVENUE TON
Number of tonnes which freight is paid for per ton.
 
Reverse Logistics
REVERSE LOGISTICS
Reverse Logistics is a rather general term. In its broadest sense, reverse logistics stands for all operations related to the reuse of products and materials. The management of these operations can be referred to as Product Recovery Management (PRM). PRM is concerned with the care of products and materials after they have been used. Some of these activities are, to some extent, similar to those occurring in the case of internal returns of defective items due to unreliable production processes. Reverse logistics refers however to all logistics activities the collection, disassembly and processing of used products, product parts and/or materials in order to ensure a sustainable (environmentally-friendly) recovery.
 
Ro-Ro
RO-RO
Roll on/Roll off
Vessel used for carrying cars and light trucks. Vehicles are driven on and driven off, as opposed to being loaded with cranes or other external equipment.
 
 

S

 

Seawaybill
SEAWAYBILL
A type of bill of lading used for port-to-port or combined transport carriage. A waybill is identical to a negotiable bill of lading except that it is not a document of title. There are no originals issued for this type of document. In some jurisdictions, such as the USA, a waybill is deemed the equivalent of a (straight) consigned bill of lading. See also Waybill.
 
Service Agreement
SERVICE AGREEMENT
Private contracts between one or more carriers and one or more shippers to transport cargo between specified points under terms and conditions of carriage agreed and listed in the contract. It often allows for particular rates based on volume over a specified period of time.
Also commonly known as a service contract.
 
Set Point
SET POINT
Specific temperature that a refrigerated container has been set to keep. Ideally, the set point and the actual temperature should be identical throughout the voyage.
 
Ship's Chandlers
SHIP'S CHANDLERS
Suppliers of various items to the vessel.
 
Shipper
SHIPPER

1) Person who consigns something (e.g. the goods of an individual shipment).
2) Legal entity or person named on the bill of lading or waybill as shipper and/or who (or in whose name or on whose behalf) a contract of carriage has been concluded with a carrier.

Also known as consignor.

 

 

Shipper Packed
SHIPPER PACKED
Contents of containers as loaded (stuffed), stowed (packed/braced), weighed and/or counted by or for the shipper, usually a CY load.
 
Shipping Order
SHIPPING ORDER
Equivalent of booking and contract of carriage evidencing the agreement to transport goods.
 
Short Landed
SHORT LANDED
Cargo volume count (at delivery destination) less than originally shipped.
 
 
Short Shipped
SHORT SHIPPED
Cargo missing a vessel that it was originally intended for.
 
Stock Keeping Unit
SKU
Smallest unit grouping for goods, normally indicating a single retail item. Usually, several SKUs will be under one purchase order.
 
Slot Charter
SLOT CHARTER
A carrier's chartering of slots/spaces on other carrier's vessels.
 
SMDG
SMDG
User Group for Shipping Lines and Container Terminals.
SMDG develops and promotes UN/EDIFACT EDI messages for the maritime industry and is an official Pan European User Group recognised by the UN/EDIFACT Board.
 
Special Customs Invoice
SPECIAL CUSTOMS INVOICE
An official form usually required by U.S. Customs if the rate of duty is based upon the value, and the value of the shipment exceeds USD 500. This document is usually prepared by the foreign exporter or his forwarder and is used by customs in determining the value of the shipment. The exporter or his agent must attest to the authenticity of the data furnished.
 
Special Rate
SPECIAL RATE
Rate established for a specified commodity for a specific period of time.
 
SS
Steamship.
 
ST
1 Short Ton = 2 000 lbs.
 
STC
Abbreviation for Said To Contain.
 
Stevedore
STEVEDORE
Terminal operator who is designated to facilitate the operation of loading and discharging vessels and various terminal activities.
Also known as longshoreman.
 
Storage Charge
STORAGE CHARGE
Charge for goods held in storage facilities (warehouses) under a fixed agreement for periods of time, and which is not included in other arrangement.
 
Store-Door Delivery
STORE-DOOR DELIVERY

Service of providing inland import transportation to our customer’s premises from the port of discharge. This offers the customer flexibility of door to door transportation.

This service is applicable when the carrier provides inland transportation to the desired inland location, based on the request of the customer.

 

 

Stripping
STRIPPING

A service offered to the customer in which the carrier performs stripping (cargo unloading) or stuffing (cargo loading) of the customer’s container at the port area.

 

Stuffing
STUFFING

A service offered to the customer in which the carrier performs stripping (cargo unloading) or stuffing (cargo loading) of the customer’s container at the port area.

This service is applied based upon the customer request.

 

 

Supply Chain
SUPPLY CHAIN
The movement of materials and information through the logistics process from acquisition of raw materials to delivery to end-user. The supply chain includes all vendors, service providers and customers.
 
Supply Chain Management
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
The management and control of all materials and information in the logistics process from acquisition of raw materials to delivery to end-user.
 
Surcharges
SURCHARGES
Additional charges above ocean freight.
See also Add-Ons.
 
SWIFT
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
A cooperative organised under Belgian law providing the following services to participating financial institutions: Letters of credit (opening and transmission), money transfers, payment security settlements.
Other businesses participating in SWIFT are: Security brokers and delaters, clearing and depository institutions, security exchanges and travellers cheques issuers.
 
Switch Bill of Lading
SWITCH BILL OF LADING

This service is provided by the carrier to 'switch' transport documents (B/L's) to show new parties by issuing a 2nd set of documents.

A 'switch' is used to prevent the shipper from being visible to the buyer and protects the interests of the cargo intermediary.

The service is applicable upon the customer’s request for this service.

 

T

 

Tare Weight
TARE WEIGHT
Weight of an empty container. Gross weight = net weight + tare weight.
 
Tariff
TARIFF
List of published rates, rules and regulations applicable to the transportation of goods in specified trade lanes or between two areas.
 
Terminal Handling Service- Destination
TERMINAL HANDLING SERVICE- DESTINATION (DHC)

This service covers the cost of the handling of a container at the destination port or terminal.

This service is applicable to all shipments.

 

Terminal Handling Service- Origin
TERMINAL HANDLING SERVICE- ORIGIN (OHC)
This service covers the cost of handling a container at the origin port or terminal.
 
TEU
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit
A measure of container capacity still used by some institutions
1 FFE = 2 TEU
 
Third Party Providers
THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS
Companies that can be employed (hired) to assume tasks that were previously performed in-house by the client.
 
Through Rates
THROUGH RATES
A rate applicable from point of origin to destination. A through rate may be either a joint rate or a combination of two or more rates.
 
TIR Carnet
TIR CARNET
A document which can be issued to ease border crossings in Europe. Customs at a European location places a seal on a container and issues the TIR Carnet. The document and seal allow the container to cross borders without inspection to the consignee's door, where destination customs will then inspect the cargo.
 
Trailer on Flat Car Rail
TOFC
Trailer on Flat Car Rail
Service in which a container is loaded on a rail car with chassis, bogies or wheels.
 
To order of Shipper
TO ORDER OF SHIPPER
The shipper, by way of endorsement and passing of the document, allows a transfer of the rights to take delivery of the goods in the document e.g. a bill of lading.
 
Terms of Sale
TOS
Terms of Sale (i.e. FOB/CIF/FAS).
 
Total Average Inventor
TOTAL AVERAGE INVENTORY
(1) The sum of average order quantity (one half of order quantity) plus safety stock. Safety stock is the amount on hand after the arrival of the order.
(2) Also, the average normal use stock plus the average lead stock plus safety stock.
 
Total Cost of Distribution
TOTAL COST OF DISTRIBUTION
The sum of purchasing, transportation and storage costs in the movement of finished products through the post production channel.
 
Total Quality Management
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
An approach to business management that focuses on quality and typically has: a strong customer orientation, total involvement, measurement systems, systematic support and continuous improvement.
 
Tracer
TRACER
A request on a transportation line to trace a shipment for the purpose of expediting its movement or establishing delivery. Common usage of this term has been simplified to mean any request for status of a shipment.
 
Transloading
TRANSLOADING
tainers from one vessel to another vessel. Synonymous with Transshipments.
 
Transmittal Letter
TRANSMITTAL LETTER
List of the particulars of the shipment and a record of the documents being transmitted, together with instructions for the disposition of documents.
 
Terminal Receiving Charge
TRC
Charge assessed by the terminal for cargo being delivered for export.
 

U

 

UCC-128
This barcode is a specially defined subset of Code 128 that is used mostly on shipping containers. It is numeric only, having a fixed length of 19 digits.
 
UN/CEFACT
United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. The worldwide facilitation of international transactions through the simplification and harmonisation of procedures and information flows.
 
UN/EDIFACT
United Nations Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport.
 
Unit Cost
UNIT COST
The cost associated with a single unit of product; it is calculated as the total cost of producing a product or service divided by the number of units in the run or lot.
 
UPCA
UPC (Universal Product Code) version A is used to encode an 11 digit number. The first digit is the system number and the rest are data characters. Both 2 and 5 digit supplementals are also supported.
 
UPCE 11-Digit
UPCE 11-DIGIT
UPCE is a zero suppressed version of the UPCA barcode. This version allows 11 digits to be encoded. The first digit must be zero. Both 2 and 5 digit supplementals are also supported.
 
UPCE1 6-Digit
UPCE1 6-DIGIT
UPCE is a zero suppressed version of the UPCA barcode. This version allows 6 digits to be encoded. The first digit must be zero. Both 2 and 5 digit supplementals are also supported.
 
UPCE0 6-Digit
UPCE0 6-DIGIT
UPCE is a zero suppressed version of the UPCA barcode. This version allows 6 digits to be encoded. The first digit must be zero. Both 2 and 5 digit supplementals are also supported.
 
Usufruct
USUFRUCT
The legal right of using and enjoying the profits of something belonging to another party.
 

V

 

Vendor
VENDOR
External supplier of merchandise.
 
Vessel Ton
VESSEL TON
A unit of interior capacity of ships equal to 100 cubic feet or 2,832 cubic metres; register ton.
 
Volume Rate
VOLUME RATE
Rate applicable in connection with a specified volume (weight) of freight.
 
Vessel Sharing Agreement
VSA
A term agreement between two or more carriers in which a number of container positions ("slots") equal in space are reserved on particular vessels for each of the participants. The number of slots (space) on different vessels on the same route can vary by vessel type and direction but may also be expressed as each party's capacity use of the vessels employed jointly.

 

W

 

Waiver
WAIVER
Document used to allow cargo carriage by different flag vessels other than original destination country vessels. Also for government cargo where vessels under certain flags cannot carry the shipments.
 
Waybill
WAYBILL
See » Seawaybill.
 
Weights
WEIGHTS
Gross/Long Ton: 2,240 lbs. (1016 kg)
Net/Short Ton: 2,000 lbs (907.19 kg)
Metric/Kilo Ton: 2,204.6 lbs (1,000 kg)
 
Wharf
WHARF
A structure built along a shore, and often into the water, at which boats can be docked and loaded or unloaded;
Also known as pier or quay.
 
Wharfage
WHARFAGE

This fee is assessed by a port authority or port operator to the carrier for the usage of a port's wharf. The fee is then charged back to the customer in order to provide transparency and to share the costs.

This fee will be applicable to shipments moving to/from port terminals that charge wharfage fees.

 

X

 

X12 ANSI
Standard for inter-industry electronic interchange of business transactions.
 
Xeric
XERIC
Requiring a miniscule amount of moisture.
 

Y

 

Year To Date
YTD
 

Z

 

ZN
Abbreviation for: Azimuth, Zinc.
 
Zonate
ZONATE
Marked with or arranged in zones.