Bad stowage

A stowage operation not performed correctly. In this case, there might damage to goods or part of the load.

Ballast

Amount of water to fill empty spaces of the ship in order to obtain the best alignment and balance.

Booking

It is the request to the shipping company for a reservation on a ship. Can be requested by the forwarder or the shipper and contains ship name, date, port of departure, port of destination, goods description.

Bulk cargoes code – BC Code

IMO rules for transportation of dry bulk cargo.

Bulk carrier – BC

Ship to transport dry bulk cargo.

Bunker

Fuel. The bunker tank is the tank on ships where the fuel is stored.

Cabotage

Transportation inside the national borders of a Country.

Cargo

Load. Cargo manifest A document where it is listed all the goods in the shipment.

Cash against documents (CAD)

Payment of the goods when official documents are delivered.

Cash on delivery (COD)

Payment of the goods when they are delivered.

Collect freight

A freight that is payable at destination place.

Combined Bill of Lading – CBL – HBL – TBL

Combined transport documents.

Container

A wide used term that identifies a metallic structure capable to contain various kind of goods. The purpose of the container is to reduce handling time, loading and unloading from ship or other vehicles, and offer security throughout the whole shipment.

Containers shipping Lo/Lo – Containers shipping Ro/Ro

A ship designed to optimize the space reserved for containers. It can also have space for break bulk cargo or road vehicles.

Corner fitting

Blocks to secure the load on the ship or on the vehicle that carries it.

Customs broker

A profession that involves the "clearing" of goods through customs barriers for importers and exporters.

Customs clearance

Process that allow the goods to enter the country in which they are shipped to.

Customs wharehouse

A warehouse with the only purpose to stock the goods waiting to be cleared.

Door to door

A transport organized from place of production (or other place agreed) to end customer place.

Door to pier

A transport organized from place of production (or other place agreed) to pier.

Dry bulk containers

Dry bulk containers have different type of openings on the side or on the bottom wall in order to ease the process of loading and unloading.

DSP / DTS – Droits de tirage special

Virtual money created by the International Monetary Fund in order to calculate the value of carrier responsibility.

ETA

Expected time arrival.

ETD

Expected time departure.

FCR – Fiata forwarder certificate of receipt

Certificate of acceptance for the delivery of the goods by the forwarder.

FCT – Fiata forwarder certificate of transport

Transport document issued by the freight forwarder.

Feeder

Small tonnage ship or port used to traffic redistribution.

Ferry boat – Roll on/Roll off

A ship designed with the purpose to board different kind of vehicles like trailers or rail wagons.

FEU

Acronym of Forty feet Equivalent Unit.

Flag

The flag distinguishes the nationality of the ship; is hoisted at the stern during the daytime sailing.

Flat rack containers

A flat rack container has removable side walls and is usually utilized to forward out of gauge material.

FWR – Fiata warehouse receipt

Receipt for the collection of goods in the warehouse.

Gas carriers

Tanks able to transport liquefied gases.

Gross registered tonnage

Measure of the volumes of spaces in a ship, including those not used for securing the load. It is performed by the Naval Register that issues the registration certificate.

Hold

Space of the vessel used to receive the cargo to be transported.

Hull

An insurance term that defines the set consisting of hull, equipment and appliances of a ship.

Hull & Machinery

An insurance term that refers to the hull of the ship, as well as to the engine or auxiliary machinery and all  other parts.

Insulated containers

This type of containers have insulated walls to reduce the gap of temperatures between outside and inside environment.

Lash carriers

Carriers that have their own equipment  allowing the loading and unloading of barges without the mooring quay.

Lashing

The operation that, with the use of special cables, permits the displacement of voluminous and heavy loads.

LCL – “Less than Container Loaded”

Container used by more than one shipper both on departure and arrival. A typical case is the groupage, where the final destination is not the whole container but individual packages, pallets, cartons etc.

Liner

Regular seafreight traffic of containers.

Liquid bulk

Bulk liquids whose load is via pumps. These include, for example: oil and derivatives, liquid chemicals, vegetable oils, wine, soda caustic solution, fertilizers.

Lo-Lo – Lift on/Lift off

Boarding and unloading of intermodal transport units through vertical movement with a lifting system

Log book

The log books are usually books that have to be necessarily kept on board the ship and on which are shown chronologically, the inventory of existing objects, revenues and expenses, the route followed, meteorological observations and extraordinary events that have occurred.

Lump sum

Amount that include every cost of the shipment.

Mulex

Great bag for bulk cargo in small batches.

Net

net weight. Net-net Weight measured without packaging.

Net registered tonnage

Measure of the volumes of spaces in a ship for securing the loads. It is performed by the Naval Register that issues the registration certificate.

Non-vessel operating common carrier – NVOCC

An NVOCC is a common carrier that holds itself out to the public to provide ocean transportation, issues its own bills of lading or equivalent documents, but does not operate the vessels that transport cargo.

On deck loading

If the goods are boarded on deck (not on hold), the policyholder or the insured must notify the insurer in order to be aware of the risk.

Open hatch gantry crane – OHGC

Ships with open hatch and a overhead granty crane.

Open top containers

Unlike what happens with traditional container, the goods are protected by tarpaulin fixed to the walls. Goods are loaded from the top, utilzed usually for heavy loads.

Packing list

List indicating the quantity, weight and description of goods in a shipment.

Perils of the sea

Any damages resulting from accidents during navigation, exluding the natural action of wind and waves.

Pier

Quay, wharf, jetty.

Quick work – Bottom

Part of the ship under the waterline.

Refrigerating containers

Containers provided with fixed or removable refrigerating equipment, powerd by the electric generator coupled to a diesel engine.

Refrigerating containers

Containers provided with fixed or removable refrigerating equipment, powerd by the electric generator coupled to a diesel engine.

Said to contain – STC

Term wrote in B/L by the ocean carrier when there is a full container load (FCL).

Ship owner

Person or entity that is entitled of the management of one or more ship to transport goods or persons.

Ship owner

Person or entity that is entitled of the management of one or more ship to transport goods or persons.

Shipper

Person or entity that is entitled of transport contract with the carrier.

Shipper

Person or entity that is entitled of transport contract with the carrier.

Shipper declaration for transport of dangerous goods – SDT

Declaration issued by the shipper for the transport of dangerous goods, prepared on a FIATA model.

Shipping agent

Maritime agent or freight forwarder.

Shipyard

A ship construction site.

Short sea shipping (SSS)

The "short sea shipping" expresses the movement of goods and passengers by sea between domestic ports.

Slot

Cell of a ship designed to load containers, boxes or trailers.

Solid bulk (or dry bulk)

Solid bulk cargoes may include iron, zinc, bauxite, sugar, coal, sand. Loading operation are usually performed thanks to bucket elevators or lifting belts.

Spreader

Equipment that connects the wires of a crane with a container.

Stowage

Arrangement of the goods inside the hold of a ship or any  box or mean of transport.

Tank containers

Cylindrical tanks fixed to a metal structure having the external dimensions of a container.

Tankers

Ships that transport liquid cargo (oil and its derivatives, wine, water and so on). The tanks, in almost all cases, have walls glazed the ensure greater protection for the product and facilitate the washing operations.

Tankers

Ships that transport liquid cargo (oil and its derivatives, wine, water and so on). The tanks, in almost all cases, have walls glazed the ensure greater protection for the product and facilitate the washing operations.

Terms

Conditions of transport, see Incoterms.

TEU

Acronym of Twenty feet Equivalent Unit.

THC (Terminal handling charges)

Charges for handling containers stowed on the ship.

Through bill of lading

Sea multimodal transport document.

Transhipment

The process by which the goods are transferd from the ship or other means for the transport, on the ground or other vessel or other means of transport to enable it to reach the place of final destination

Transroulage

Combined transport sea/road.

Twistlock

Locking pin of a loading unit (e.g. container) to lock it to the vessel or the transport vehicle.

Very large crude carrier – VLCC

Large tonnage ship used to transport liquid bulk.

Warehouse

Deposit.  Bonded warehouse Where goods are temporary stored (e.g. goods in transit). Customs warehouse Where goods are stored before clearing.