Maritime Terms - Global Supply Chain & Logistics

short ton

2,000 pounds, Lifting capacity and cargo measurements are designated in this

long ton

2240 pounds

dockage

: A charge by a port authority for the length of water frontage used by a vessel tied up at a wharf.

container

A box made of aluminum, steel or fiberglass used to transport cargo by ship, rail, truck or barge.

bonded warehouse

A building designated by U.S. Customs authorities for storage of goods without payment of duties to Customs until goods are removed.

steamship company

A business that owns ships that operate in international trade

wharfage fee

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

COFC

A container placed directly on a railroad flatcar without chassis.

TOFC

A container placed on a chassis that is in turn placed on a railroad car.

reefer

A container with refrigeration for transporting frozen foods (meat, ice cream, fruit, etc.)

bill of lading

A contract between a shipper and carrier listing the terms for moving freight between specified points.

customs

A duty or tax on imported goods. These fees are a major bonus to the economy.

vessel operator

A firm that charters vessels for its service requirements, which are handled by their own offices or appointed agents at ports of call. they also handle the operation of vessels on behalf of owners.

duty

A government tax on imported merchandise.

barge

A large, flat-bottomed boat used to carry cargo from a port to shallow-draft waterways.

pilot

A licensed navigational guide with thorough knowledge of a particular section of a waterway whose occupation is to steep ships along a coast or into and out of a harbor.

demurrage

A penalty fee assessed when cargo isn't moved off a wharf before the free time allowance ends.

container chassis

A piece of equipment specifically designed for the movement of containers by highway to and from container terminals.

railyard

A rail terminal at which occur traditional railroad activities for sorting and redistribution of railcars and cargo.

tramp

A ship operating with no fixed route or published schedule.

consignment

A shipment of goods.

container terminal

A specialized facility where ocean container vessels dock to discharge and load containers, equipped with cranes with a safe lifting capacity of 35-40 tons, with booms having an outreach of up to 120 feet in order to reach the outside cells of vessels.

steamship line

A steamship (ocean carrier) service running on a particular international route.

Hostler (or hustler)

A tractor, usually unlicensed, for moving containers within a yard. An employee who drives a tractor for the purpose of moving cargo within a container yard.

TEU

A unit of measurement equal to the space occupied by a standard twenty foot container. Used in stating the capacity of container vessel or storage area. One 40 ft. Container is equal to two TEU's.

freight forwarder

An individual or company that prepares the documentation and coordinates the movement and storage of export cargoes.

Carrier

An individual, partnership or corporation engaged in the business of transporting goods or passengers

LTL

Cargoes from different sources are usually consolidated to save costs.

general cargo

Consists of both containerized and breakbulk goods, in contrast to bulk cargo. operations produce more jobs than bulk handling.

longshoremen

Dock workers who load and unload ships, or perform administrative tasks associated with the loading or unloading of cargo. They may or may not be members of labor unions.

railhead

End of the railroad line or point in the area of operations at which cargo is loaded and unloaded.

export packers

Firms that securely pack export products into a container to crate to protect the cargo from damage during an ocean voyage.

contraband

Goods prohibited in trade (such as weapons going to Iran, anything to Cuba). Smuggled goods.

stevedores

Labor management companies that provide equipment and hire workers to transfer cargo between ships and docks. these companies may also serve as terminal operators.

bulk cargo

Loose cargo (dry or liquid) that is loaded (shoveled, scooped, forked, mechanically conveyed or pumped) in volume directly into a ship's hold; e.g., grain, coal and oil.

DWT

Maximum weight of a vessel including the vessel, cargo and ballast.

freight

Merchandise hauled by transportation lines.

dry bulk

Minerals or grains stored in loose piles moving without mark or count. Examples are potash, industrial sands, wheat, soybeans and peanuts.

breakbulk cargo

Non-containerized general cargo stored in boxes, bales, pallets or other units to be loaded onto or discharged from ships or other forms of transportation.

feeder service

Ocean transport system involving use of centralized ports to assemble and disseminate cargo to and from ports within a geographic area. Commodities are transported between major ports, then transferred to feeder vessels for further transport to a number of additional ports.

cartage

Originally the process of transporting by cart. Today, the term is used for trucking or trucking fees.

interchange

Point of entry/exit for trucks delivering and picking up containerized cargo. Point where pickups and deposits of containers in storage area or yard are assigned.

port-of-call

Port at which cruise ship makes a stop along its itinerary. Calls may range from five to 24 hours. Sometimes referred to as "transit port" and "destination port."

anchorage

Port charge relating to a vessel moored at approved anchorage site in a harbor.

sheddage

Regardless of the length of stay, a vessel is charged a one-time fee for use of shed space and/or marginal (waterside) rail track space. The charge is based on the length of a vessel.

tariff

Schedule, system of duties imposed by a government on the import/export of goods; also, the charges, rates and rules of a transportation company as listed in published industry tables.

cabotage

Shipment of cargo between a nation's ports is also called coastwise trade. The U.S. and some other countries require such trade to be carried on domestic ships only.

tractor-trailer

Some trucks are a solid unit, such as a van, but many have three main units. The front section where the driver sits is called the cab or the tractor (because it pulls a load). Cargo is loaded into the metal box (container), which is loaded onto the wheel base called a chassis or a trailer.

apron

The area immediately in front of or behind a wharf shed on which cargo is lifted.

consignee

The buyer of this shipment

terminal operator

The company that operates cargo handling activities on a wharf. oversees unloading cargo from ship to dock, checking the quantity of cargoes versus the ship's manifest (list of goods), transferring of the cargo into the shed, checking documents authorizing a trucker to pick up cargo, overseeing the loading/unloading of railroad cars, etc.

draft

The depth of a loaded vessel in the water taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull of the vessel; depth of water, or distance between the bottom of the ship and waterline.

way bill

The document used to identify the shipper and consignee, present the routing, describe the goods, present the applicable rate, show the weight of the shipment, and make other useful information notations.

EDI

The exchange of information through an electronic format. Electronic commerce has been under intensive development in the transportation industry to achieve a competitive advantage in international markets.

container freight station

The facility for stuffing and stripping a container of its cargo, especially for movement by railroad.

cargo

The freight (goods, products) carried by a ship, barge, train, truck or plane.

steamship agent

The local representative who acts as a liaison among ship owners, local port authorities, terminals and supply/service companies. handles all details for getting the ship into port; having it unloaded and loaded; inspected and out to sea quickly.

project cargo

The materials and equipment to assemble a special project overseas, such as a factory or highway.

master

The officer in charge of the ship. "Captain" is a courtesy title often given

consolidator

The person or firm that consolidates (combines) cargo from a number of shippers into a container that will deliver the goods to several buyers.

wharf

The place at which ships tie up to unload and load cargo.

terminal

The place where cargo is handled

stuffing

The process of packing a container with loose cargo prior to inland or ocean shipment.

stripping

The process of removing cargo from a container.

refrigeration or reefer units

The protective cooling of perishable freight by ice, liquid nitrogen, or mechanical devices

channels of distribution

The routes by which products are transported from origin to destination. This includes the physical routes, as well as the different companies involved in ultimately delivering the goods to buyers.

manifest

The ship captain's list of individual goods that make up the ship's cargo.

gross tonnage

The sum of container, breakbulk and bulk tonnage.

containerization

The technique of using a container to store, protect and handle cargo while it is in transit. This shipping method has both greatly expedited the speed at which cargo is moved from origin to destination and lowered shipping costs.

transshipment

The unloading of cargo at a port or point where it is then reloaded, sometimes into another mode of transportation, for transfer to a final destination.

berth

The wharf space at which a ship docks. A wharf may have two or three of these, depending on the length of incoming ships.

LASH

These 900-foot-long ships carry small barges inside the vessel.

customs broker

This person prepares the needed documentation for importing goods. is licensed by the Treasury Department to clear goods through U.S. Customs. Performs duties related to documentation, cargo clearance, coordination of inland and ocean transportation, dockside inspection of cargo, etc.

Backhaul

To haul a shipment back over part of a route which it has already traveled; a marine transportation carrier's return movement of cargo, usually opposite from the direction of its primary cargo distribution.

steamship

Today, ships that transport cargo overseas are powered by diesel fuel instead of steam. Many people still use the term, but the more modern term for the service is "ocean carrier" and for the ship itself, "motor vessel."

gantry crane

Track-mounted, shoreside crane utilized in the loading and unloading of breakbulk cargo, containers and heavy lift cargo.

drayage

Transport by truck for short distances; e.g. from wharf to warehouse.

deck barge

Transports heavy or oversize cargoes mounted to its top deck instead of inside a hold. Machinery, appliances, project cargoes and even recreational vehicles move on this

common carrier

Trucking, railroad or barge lines that are licensed to transport goods or people nationwide

container crane

Usually, a rail-mounted gantry crane located on a wharf for the purpose of loading and unloading containers on vessels.

deadhead

When a truck returning from a delivery has no return freight on the back haul

intermodal shipment

When more than one mode of transportation is used to ship cargo from origin to destination

captive cargo port

When most of a port's inbound cargoes are being shipped short distances and most of its export products come from nearby areas

transit port

When the majority of cargoes moving through a port aren't coming from or destined for the local market, the port is called this

dunnage

Wood or other material used in stowing ship cargo to prevent its movement.

ISO

Worldwide organization formed to promote development of standards to facilitate the international carriage and exchange of goods and services.

marshaling yard

a container parking lot, or any open area where containers are stored in a precise order according to the ship loading plan. Containers terminals may use a grounded or wheeled layout.

FTZ

a site within the USA (in or near a U.S. Customs port of entry) where foreign and domestic goods are held until they ready to be released into international commerce.

yard

a system of tracks within a certain area used for making up trains, storing cars, placing cars to be loaded or unloaded, etc.

quay

a wharf for use in loading and unloading ships.

NVOCC

buys space aboard a ship to get a lower volume rate.then sells that space to various small shippers, consolidates their freight, issues bills of lading and books space aboard a ship.

IMX

containers can be lifted from truck chassis to rail intermodal cars or vice versa.

transit shed

designed to protect cargoes from weather damage and is used only for short-term storage. Warehouses operated by private firms house goods for longer periods.

I.L.A.

operates on the East and Gulf Coasts

I.L.W.U.

operates on the West Coast

LCL

partial container load that is usually consolidated with other goods to fill a container.

ro/ro

ship is designed with ramps that can be lowered to the dock so cars, buses, trucks or other vehicles can drive into the belly of the ship, rather than be lifted aboard.

consignor

the seller of the goods

operating port

where the port authority builds the wharves, owns the cranes and cargo-handling equipment and hires the labor to move cargo in the sheds and yards. A stevedore hires longshore labor to lift cargo between the ship and the dock, where the port's laborers pick it up and bring it to the storage site.

landlord port

where the port authority builds the wharves, which it then rents or leases to a terminal operator (usually a stevedoring company). The operator invests in cargo-handling equipment (forklifts, cranes, etc), hires longshore laborers to operate such lift machinery and negotiates contracts with ocean carriers (steamship services) to handle the unloading and loading of ship cargoes.