Bill of Lading
Official legal document representing ownership of cargo; negotiable document to receive cargo; contract for cargo between shipper and carrier.

Break Bulk
Loose cargo, such as cartons, stowed directly in the ship's hold as opposed to containerised or bulk cargo. The volume of break bulk cargo has declined dramatically worldwide as containerisation has grown

Breakbulk Vessel
A general cargo vessel designed to efficiently handle un-containerised cargo. Vessels are usually self-sustaining in that they have their own loading and unloading machinery.

Carrier
Any individual, company or corporation engaged in transporting goods. Container shipping lines are sometimes referred to as carriers.

Consignee
The person or firm named in a freight contract to whom goods have been consigned or turned over. For export control purposes, the documentation differentiates between an intermediate consignee and an ultimate consignee.

Consignment
Delivery of merchandise from an exporter (the consignor) to an agent (the consignee) under agreement that the agent sell the merchandise for the account of the exporter.

Container
A reusable steel rectangular box for carrying cargo that first came into common use about 50 years ago.

Container Terminal/Yard
A docking, unloading and loading area within a port designed to suit the sizes and needs of container ships.

Demurrage
Excess time taken for loading or unloading a vessel, thus causing delay of scheduled departure. Demurrage refers only to situations in which the charter or shipper, rather than the vessel's operator, is at fault.

Dry Bulk
Loose, mostly uniform cargo, such as agribulk products, coal, fertilizer, and ores that are transported in bulk carriers.

Duty
A tax imposed on imports by the customs authority of a country. Duties are generally based on the value of the goods (ad valorem duties), some other factors such as weight or quantity (specific duties), or a combination of value and other factors (compound duties).

Forty-foot Equivalent Unit (FEU)
This is a container that is the same height and width as a TEU but twice the length. As a result, it has twice the capacity.

Freight Forwarder
An independent business which handles export shipments for compensation. At the request of the shipper, the forwarder makes the actual arrangements and provides the necessary services for expediting the shipment to its overseas destination. The forwarder takes care of all documentation needed to move the shipment from origin to destination, making up and assembling the necessary documentation for submission to the bank in the exporter's name. The forwarder arranges for cargo insurance, makes the necessary overseas communications, and advises the shipper on overseas requirements of marking and labeling.

Freight Rates
The charge made by a shipping line for the transportation of freight aboard one of its ships from one place to another.

Full Container Load (FCL)
A container loaded, completely or almost, to its maximum weight limit or cubic content.

Gantry Crane
A type of crane used to load and unload container ships. It lifts objects with a hoist and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails.

Gateway
In the context of travel activities, gateway refers to a major airport or seaport. Internationally, gateway can also mean the port where customs clearance takes place.

Import License/Permit
A document required and issued by some national governments authorising the importation of goods. With such documentation, customs clearance can be conducted.

Incoterms
Maintained by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), this codification of terms is used in foreign trade contracts to define which parties incur the costs and at what specific point the costs are incurred.

Intermodal
Movement of goods by more than one mode of transport, ie. airplane, truck, railroad and ship.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)
A specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
An international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organisations. It was the ISO that prescribed the standard size of shipping containers to make global container trade more efficient.

Less than Container Load
A shipment of cargo that does not fill a container and is merged with cargo from more than one consignee or from more than one shipper.

Maiden Voyage
The very first journey a ship makes after being delivered from the ship-yard.

Prime Movers
Vehicles used for transporting containers.

Reefer
A temperature-controlled container usually refrigerated but sometimes heated.

Roll-on, Roll-off (RORO)
A type of ship designed to load & discharge cargo which rolls on wheels or tracks.

Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes
Rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) are specialized equipment for loading and unloading standard containers. They are used in both container terminals and specialized container storage yards.

Shipper
Any person or organisation paying for its cargo to be shipped from one place to another.

Straddle Carriers
A Straddle Carrier is a non road going vehicle for use in port and yards used for stacking and moving containers. Straddles pick and carry containers while straddling their load and connecting to the top lifting points. These machines have the ability to stack containers up to 4 stories high.

Transshipment
Transshipment refers to the act of sending an exported product through an intermediate country before routing it to the country intended to be its final destination.

Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)
TEU is a measure of a ship's cargo-carrying capacity. One TEU measures twenty feet by eight feet by eight feet -- the dimensions of a standard twenty-foot container. An FEU equals two TEUs.

Vessel
Another word for a boat or ship. Container ships are sometimes referred to as vessels.

Wharfage
A charge assessed by a pier or dock owner for handling incoming or outgoing cargo.