Freight, shipping and chartering glossary

Сertificate submitted by an exporter to those countries requiring it, listing goods to be imported and stating their place of origin. Used for customs and foreign exchange purposes.

Payment for the weight of the item. The chargeable weight may be the dimensional weight or, for container shipments, the gross weight of the shipment less the tare weight of the container.

The tariff applied for chartering tonnage in a particular trade.

A person or organization that rents a ship for the transportation of cargo or passengers from its owner.

Freight payable by the consignee at the port of destination.

Transportation of goods by at least two different modes of transport; widely used in container shipping. When using it, transportation can be carried out by sea and further by rail and/or road according to one document. Combined Transport is also referred to in the USA as "Intermodal Transport" and in other parts of the world as "Multimodal Transport"

Products; commercial products and services.

A code describing a commodity or a group of commodities pertaining to goods classification. This code can be carrier tariff or regulating in nature.

An ocean carrier who is a member of an association known as a "conference." The purpose of the conference is to standardize shipping practices, eliminate freight rate competition, and provide regularly scheduled service between specific ports.

A natural or legal person to whom, at the direction of the shipper, the goods should be delivered at the destination.

Freight sent under a single contract of carriage.

Collection and storage of small consignments from several consignors for their subsequent transportation by one transport document.

The location where consolidation takes place.

A bill of lading issued by a consolidating freight forwarder to a shipper.

Registration of all formalities and operations necessary to obtain permission to unload the container from the vessel and to load it on board the vessel.

The charge made for the packing or unpacking of cargo into or from ocean freight containers.

Disinfection allowance (fumigation).

An identifier assigned to a container by a carrier.

A place for handling/storage of materials used for fully unified cargo in containers and/or empty containers.

Cargo that is prohibited.

Same as the FCA, but insurance is added for the seller’s account on a definite part of the route. The shipping section covered by insurance can be any.

The same as CFR, but insurance is added for the seller’s account on a definite part of the route. The shipping section covered by insurance can be any.

Special duties imposed on imports to offset the benefits of subsidies to producers or exporters in the exporting country.

The carrying capacity of a container according to measurement in cubic feet, cubic centimeters or cubic meters.

The document containing the calculation of the amount of security and confirming the introduction of security for customs payments in the form of a bank guarantee, pledge agreement or guarantee.

A government agency providing the procedure for moving goods and vehicles, things, and other items across the customs border, levying customs payments.

A legal entity that has received a license to perform intermediary functions in the field of customs clearance of goods at the expense and on behalf of the represented person.

Duty on imports to the US may apply

Payment charged by customs when importing or exporting goods.

Navigation of a commercial cargo or passenger ship between seaports of the same state.

(1) A secure enclosed area for storing highly valuable items, (2) a pallet-sized platform with sides that can be secured to the tines of a forklift and in which a person may ride to inventory items stored well above the warehouse floor.

Goods that are transported by different types of vehicles.

Same as CPT but insurance is added for seller’s account on a definite part of the route. The shipping section covered by insurance can be any.

A person who, under a contract of carriage, performs or mediates in the delivery of goods using a vehicle.

A freight carrier‘s right to hold on to cargo until they have received payment for transporting the goods.

A group of countries producing the same product and having concluded an agreement between themselves to control the supply volume and price level of this product.

The buyer pays the seller in advance the shipment of goods.

Issued by an insurance company or broker. The document confirms the existence of an insurance policy and summarizes the main aspects and conditions of the policy.

A network of agencies and other intermediaries that link the manufacturer and the end-user.

Contract by which the owner of a ship lets it to others for use in transporting cargo.

Fee charged by ocean carriers at certain U.S. ports for the use of their chassis.

A document stating that a shipment is free to be imported into the country after all legal requirements have been met.

All documents (commercial invoices, bills of lading, etc.) submitted to a buyer for the purpose of receiving payment for a shipment.

Document claiming payment for goods supplied under conditions agreed between seller and buyer.

Freight that might have been damaged during transit, but, the damage/loss/shortage was not notated on the Proof of Delivery.

A group of vessel operators joined for the purpose of establishing freight rates.

This surcharge is dependent on unusual events, e.g. strikes, bad winter, major port fires.

A natural or legal person who delivered the goods for carriage and is indicated as the sender in the carriage document.

This is a fee for bringing together and packing several smaller shipments into the same container., applicable to ocean freight LCL and air freight.

An agent groups the cargo of several customers for container transportation.