Glossary
Shipping and logistics glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms you will meet on quotes, bills of lading and customs documents, from B/L and CBM to demurrage, detention and Incoterms. Each entry starts with a one-sentence definition, explains what the term means in practice and gives its English, Arabic and Persian equivalents.
- Glossary
- 30 terms
- Languages
- English · العربية · فارسی
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30 terms
A
B
- Bill of lading (B/L)B/LA bill of lading is the transport document a carrier issues for goods shipped by sea: a receipt for the cargo, evidence of the contract of carriage and, when issued as a negotiable original, a document of title.
- Bonded warehouse and bonded transportA bonded warehouse stores imported goods under customs control without duties being paid until they are released, and bonded transport moves goods under customs control between two points without clearing them in between.
C
- Certificate of conformity (COC)COCA certificate of conformity is a document issued by an authorised inspection body confirming that a shipment of regulated products meets the destination country's technical standards.
- Certificate of origin (CoO)CoOA certificate of origin is an official document, usually issued or certified by a chamber of commerce or an authorised body in the exporting country, that states where the goods were produced.
- Commercial invoiceA commercial invoice is the seller's bill to the buyer for the goods and the main document customs uses to establish the value, description and origin of an import.
- Consignee and notify partyThe consignee is the party named on the bill of lading as entitled to receive the goods, and the notify party is the party the carrier informs when the cargo arrives.
- Container yard and container freight station (CY / CFS)CY / CFSA container yard (CY) is the terminal area where full containers are received, stored and delivered; a container freight station (CFS) is the warehouse where LCL cargo is packed into, or unpacked from, shared containers.
- Cut-offA cut-off is the deadline a carrier or terminal sets for delivering cargo, documents or data, such as the container, shipping instructions, VGM or customs declaration, to make a particular sailing.
D
- Delivery order (D/O)D/OA delivery order is the document the carrier or its agent issues at destination authorising the terminal or CFS to release the cargo to the consignee or its agent.
- DemurrageDemurrage is the daily charge a carrier or terminal applies when a full import container stays inside the port or terminal beyond its free time.
- DetentionDetention is the daily charge for keeping a carrier's container outside the port or terminal beyond the agreed free time, until the empty container is returned.
E
F
- FCL and LCLFCL / LCLFCL (full container load) means you book and use a whole container; LCL (less than container load) means your cargo shares a container with other shippers' cargo and you pay by volume or weight.
- Free timeFree time is the number of days a carrier or terminal allows a container to be used without demurrage, detention or storage charges.
- Freight forwarder and NVOCCNVOCCA freight forwarder organises the transport of goods for a shipper using carriers and other providers, while an NVOCC (non-vessel operating common carrier) issues its own bills of lading and contracts as a carrier without operating ships.
H
- House and master bill of lading (HBL / MBL)HBL / MBLA master bill of lading (MBL) is issued by the shipping line to a forwarder or NVOCC, while a house bill of lading (HBL) is issued by that forwarder to its own customer for the same cargo.
- HS codeHSAn HS code is the Harmonized System number customs authorities worldwide use to classify goods; the first six digits are international and each country adds further digits for its own tariff.
I
- Importer of record (IOR)IORThe importer of record is the person or company legally responsible for an import: making sure the goods comply with local rules, declaring them correctly and paying duties and taxes.
- Incoterms® (EXW, FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP, DDP)Incoterms®Incoterms® are the International Chamber of Commerce's standard trade terms that define which tasks, costs and risks the seller and the buyer each take on in delivering goods; the current version is Incoterms® 2020.
P
- Packing listA packing list is the shipper's document that details how the goods are packed: the number and type of packages, the contents of each, net and gross weights, dimensions and shipping marks.
- Port of loading and port of discharge (POL / POD)POL / PODThe port of loading (POL) is where cargo is loaded onto the ocean vessel, and the port of discharge (POD) is where it is unloaded from the vessel.
R
S
T
- Telex releaseA telex release is the carrier's instruction to its destination office to release cargo without an original bill of lading, after the originals have been surrendered at origin.
- Terminal handling charge (THC)THCA terminal handling charge (THC) is the fee for handling a container at a port terminal, charged separately at origin (OTHC) and at destination (DTHC).
- TEU and FEUTEU / FEUTEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and FEU (forty-foot equivalent unit) are standard units for counting containers: a 20ft container is 1 TEU and a 40ft container is 1 FEU, or 2 TEU.
- TransshipmentTransshipment is the transfer of cargo from one vessel to another at an intermediate port on the way to its final port of discharge.
V
W
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