Browse by letter
Modes & routing
Air Freight
The transport of goods by aircraft — fast and reliable, but the most expensive mode per kilogram.
Documents
Air Waybill (AWB)
The non-negotiable transport document and contract of carriage for an air freight shipment.
Documents
Arrival Notice
The carrier’s or forwarder’s notification that a shipment has arrived and is ready for clearance and collection.
Customs & compliance
ATA Carnet
An international customs document allowing duty-free, tax-free temporary import of goods that will be re-exported.
Documents
Bill of Lading (B/L)
The carrier’s document that acts as a receipt for cargo, a contract of carriage, and a document of title.
Customs & compliance
Bonded Warehouse
A secure facility where imported goods can be stored under customs control with duty deferred until release.
Charges & surcharges
Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF)
A surcharge that adjusts ocean freight for fluctuations in the price of marine fuel (bunker).
Parties & roles
Carrier
The party that physically transports the goods and contracts to carry them, e.g. a shipping line or airline.
Operations & measurement
CBM (Cubic Metre)
The volume of cargo in cubic metres — length × width × height in metres — used to price freight.
Documents
Certificate of Origin (CoO)
A document certifying the country in which the goods were produced, used to determine duty treatment.
Incoterms
CFR (Cost and Freight)
The seller pays ocean freight to the destination port, but risk passes to the buyer once goods are on board.
Operations & measurement
Chargeable Weight
The weight freight is billed on — the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight.
Incoterms
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)
The seller pays freight and minimum marine insurance to the destination port; risk still passes on loading.
Incoterms
CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To)
Like CPT, but the seller also buys all-risks insurance to the named destination for the buyer.
Documents
Commercial Invoice
The seller’s bill to the buyer, and the primary document customs uses to assess value, duty, and tax.
Parties & roles
Consignee
The party named to receive the goods at destination, as stated on the transport document.
Incoterms
CPT (Carriage Paid To)
The seller pays carriage to the named destination, but risk passes when goods reach the first carrier.
Charges & surcharges
Currency Adjustment Factor (CAF)
A surcharge that adjusts freight for exchange-rate fluctuations between the billing and base currencies.
Parties & roles
Customs Broker
A licensed specialist who clears goods through customs on behalf of importers and exporters.
Customs & compliance
Customs Clearance
The process of getting goods released by customs through declaration, document checks, and duty payment.
Customs & compliance
Customs Declaration
The formal statement to customs of a shipment’s goods, value, and origin used to assess duty and controls.
Customs & compliance
Customs Duty
A tax levied on imported goods, calculated from their customs value, HS classification, and origin.
Operations & measurement
Cut-off (Closing Time)
The deadline by which cargo or documents must reach the terminal or carrier to make a given sailing.
Incoterms
DAP (Delivered At Place)
The seller delivers, ready for unloading, at the named destination; the buyer handles import clearance.
Incoterms
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)
The seller delivers to the buyer’s door with all costs, duties, and import clearance paid — maximum seller obligation.
Documents
Delivery Order (D/O)
An instruction authorizing the terminal or warehouse to release cargo to the named party.
Charges & surcharges
Demurrage
A charge for keeping a container inside the port/terminal beyond the allowed free time.
Charges & surcharges
Detention
A charge for holding the carrier’s container outside the terminal beyond the free time before returning it empty.
Charges & surcharges
Documentation Fee
An administrative charge for issuing and processing shipping documents such as the bill of lading.
Operations & measurement
ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)
The carrier’s estimate of when a vessel, flight, or shipment will arrive at its destination.
Operations & measurement
ETD (Estimated Time of Departure)
The carrier’s estimate of when a vessel, flight, or shipment will depart from its origin.
Incoterms
EXW (Ex Works)
The seller only makes the goods available at their premises; the buyer bears almost all cost and risk.
Incoterms
FCA (Free Carrier)
The seller delivers, cleared for export, to a carrier nominated by the buyer at a named place.
Containers & equipment
FCL (Full Container Load)
An ocean shipment that fills (or is booked to fill) an entire container, used by a single consignee.
Containers & equipment
FEU (Forty-foot Equivalent Unit)
A capacity unit equal to one 40ft container, i.e. two TEU.
Containers & equipment
Flat Rack Container
A container with collapsible or fixed end walls and no sides or roof, for over-width or heavy cargo.
Incoterms
FOB (Free On Board)
The seller delivers, cleared for export, once the goods are on board the vessel at the named port.
Insurance & liability
Force Majeure
A contract clause excusing a party from performance when extraordinary events beyond its control intervene.
Charges & surcharges
Free Time
The grace period the carrier allows for using a container or terminal space before demurrage or detention applies.
Parties & roles
Freight Forwarder
An intermediary that arranges and coordinates the transport of goods on behalf of shippers and consignees.
Insurance & liability
General Average
A maritime principle where all cargo owners share the loss when some cargo is sacrificed to save the voyage.
Charges & surcharges
General Rate Increase (GRI)
A carrier-announced increase to base ocean freight rates on a trade lane, effective from a set date.
Operations & measurement
Gross Weight
The total weight of the cargo including its packaging, pallets, and any container or unit load device.
Containers & equipment
High Cube Container (HC)
A container that is one foot taller than a standard box (9ft 6in), giving extra internal volume.
Customs & compliance
HS Code (Harmonized System Code)
A standardized numeric code that classifies a product for customs, determining its duty and controls.
Incoterms
Incoterms
ICC-published trade terms (EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP…) that define who pays and bears risk at each step.
Modes & routing
Intermodal Transport
Moving the same loading unit across multiple modes without handling the goods themselves at transfers.
Charges & surcharges
ISPS Charge
A security surcharge funding port and vessel measures required under the international ISPS Code.
Containers & equipment
LCL (Less than Container Load)
An ocean shipment too small to justify a full container, consolidated with other cargo into one box.
Documents
Letter of Credit (L/C)
A bank’s written undertaking to pay the seller once compliant shipping documents are presented.
Insurance & liability
Marine Cargo Insurance
Insurance covering loss of or damage to goods while in transit by sea, air, or land.
Modes & routing
Multimodal Transport
Carriage using two or more transport modes under a single contract and one responsible operator.
Parties & roles
Notify Party
The party the carrier or forwarder notifies when the shipment arrives, often the consignee or its agent.
Parties & roles
NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier)
A carrier that issues its own bills of lading and sells ocean transport without operating the ships.
Modes & routing
Ocean Freight
The transport of goods by sea, the dominant mode for high-volume international trade.
Containers & equipment
Open Top Container
A container with a removable tarpaulin roof, allowing top loading by crane for tall cargo.
Documents
Packing List
A document itemizing the contents, weights, and dimensions of each package in a shipment.
Modes & routing
Port of Discharge (POD)
The port where cargo is unloaded from the vessel, ending the main ocean leg.
Modes & routing
Port of Loading (POL)
The port where cargo is loaded onto the vessel for the main ocean leg of its journey.
Containers & equipment
Reefer Container
A temperature-controlled container with an integral refrigeration unit for perishable or sensitive cargo.
Documents
Sea Waybill (SWB)
A non-negotiable ocean transport document that lets cargo be released without surrendering an original B/L.
Parties & roles
Shipper
The party that tenders the goods for shipment, named as consignor on the transport document.
Containers & equipment
Shipper’s Owned Container (SOC)
A container owned or leased by the shipper rather than the carrier, avoiding the carrier’s box and detention rules.
Customs & compliance
Tariff
The published schedule of duty rates a country applies to imported goods, organized by HS classification.
Charges & surcharges
Terminal Handling Charge (THC)
A fee charged by the port terminal for handling a container between the vessel and the yard.
Containers & equipment
TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)
The standard capacity unit equal to one 20ft container, used to measure vessel and terminal volumes.
Operations & measurement
Transit Time
The elapsed time a shipment takes to travel from origin to destination, often port to port.
Modes & routing
Transshipment
Transferring cargo from one vessel to another at an intermediate hub en route to the final destination.
Operations & measurement
Volumetric Weight
A notional weight derived from a shipment’s volume, used to charge bulky, low-density cargo fairly.