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Shipping Grocery


Serial Term Meaning
Abandonment The right a marine assured has to abandon property in order to establish a constructive total loss. An underwriter is not obliged to accept abandonment, but if he does he accepts responsibility for the property and liabilities attaching thereto, in addition to being liable for the full sum insured.
ABI - (Automated Broker Interface) A computer system that allows a Customs Broker to interface directly with U.S. Customs' computer system.
Acceptance of Goods The process of receiving a consignment from a consignor, usually against the issue of a receipt. As from this moment and on this place the carrier's responsibility for the consignment begins.
Account Party The buyer under a letter of credit. The party ultimately responsible for reimbursing the issuing bank for all payments extended on its behalf.
Act of God Accidents of a nature beyond human control such as flood, lightning or hurricane usually quoted as 'force majeure'.
Ad Valorem In proportion to the value: A phrase applied to certain freight or customs duties levied on goods, property, etc. set as a percentage of their value.
Advice Note A written piece of information e.g. about the status of the goods.
After Sight When a draft bears this phrase, the time begins to run from its acceptance date.
AGR Imports American goods returned.
All-in A freight quotation including all charges, often in one lump sum rather than broken down.
ALL-RISK INSURANCE The broadest form of coverage available, providing protection against all risk of physical loss or damage from any external cause. Does not cover loss or damage due to delay, inherent vice, inadequate packaging, or loss of market.
Antidumping Duty A duty assessed on imported merchandise that is subject to an antidumping duty order. The antidumping duty is assessed on an entry-by-entry basis in an amount equal to the difference between the United States price of that entry and the foreign market value of such or similar merchandise at the time the merchandise was sold to the United States.
Arbitration The process of referring to an agreed person for judgement on issues of dispute, without requiring the use of courts.
Arrival Date The date on which goods or a means of transport is due to arrive at the delivery site of the transport.
Arrival Notice A notice sent by a carrier to a nominated notify party advising of the arrival of a certain shipment or consignment.
Assignment The transfer of certain rights from one party to another.
Authorised Consignee / Consignor A trader authorized by the European Commission (regulation 2454/93) to receive or dispatch consignments under transit procedures without having to present goods and documents directly at the customs office.
Authorization The commission to a certain person or body to act on behalf of another person or body. The person or body can be authorized e.g. to issue Bills of Lading or to collect freight.
Average Adjusters In general average affairs average adjusters are entrusted with the task of apportioning the loss and expenditure over the parties interested in the maritime venture and to determine which expenses are to be regarded as average or general average.
Average Bond An agreement signed by all interested parties acknowledging their liability to pay a share of the loss under General Average.
Award The decision given by an arbitrator, to whom a matter in dispute has been referred. An arbitrator states only the effect of his decision, without reasons thus differing from a judge, who usually states the grounds of his judgment.
BSI Container Specification Accidents of a nature beyond human control such as flood, lightning or hurricane usually quoted as 'force majeure'.
Bay Plan A stowage plan which shows the locations of all the containers on the vessel.
Berth A location in a port where a vessel can be moored often indicated by a code or name.
Bilateral Transport Agreement Agreement between two nations concerning their transport relations.
Bill of Exchange An unconditional order in writing to pay a certain sum of money to a named person.
Bona Fide In good faith; without dishonesty, fraud or deceit.
Booking The offering by a shipper of cargo for transport and the acceptance of the offering by the carrier or his agent.
Booking Reference Number The number assigned to a certain booking by the carrier or his agent.
Break Bulk Cargo General cargo conventionally stowed as opposed to unitised, containerised and Roll On-Roll Off cargo.
Broker Person who acts as an agent or intermediary in negotiating contracts.
Brussels Tariff Nomenclature The old Customs Co-operation Council Nomenclature for the classification of goods. Now replaced by the Harmonised System.
Buffer Stock A quantity of goods or articles kept in store to safeguard against unforeseen shortages or demands.
Bulk Cargo Unpacked homogeneous cargo poured loose in a certain space of a vessel or container e.g. oil and grain.
Bulk Carrier Single deck vessel designed to carry homogeneous unpacked dry cargoes such as grain, iron ore and coal.
Bunkers Quantity of fuel on board a vessel.
Bureau Veritas French classification society.
Business Process Model The business process model provides a breakdown (process decomposition) of all levels of business processes within the scope of a business area. It also shows process dynamics, lower-level process interrelationships. In Summary it includes all diagrams related to a process definition that allows for understanding what the business process is doing (and not how).
CENSA Council of European and Japanese National Shipowner's Associations.
Call The visit of a vessel to a port.
Cargo Handling All procedures necessary to enable the physical handling of goods.
Cargo Tracer A document sent by the agent to all relevant parties, stating that certain cargo is either missing or over-landed.
Carriage The process of transporting (conveying) cargo, from one point to another.
Carriage Paid To Abbreviation: CPT
Carriage and Insurance Paid To Abbreviation: CIP
Carrier The party undertaking transport of goods from one point to another.
Caveat Emptor Let the buyer beware, purchaser must ascertain the condition of the goods to be purchased prior to the purchase.
Cellular Vessel A vessel, specially designed and equipped for the carriage of containers.
Certificate of Classification A certificate, issued by the classification society and stating the class under which a vessel is registered.
Damaged Cargo Report Written statement concerning established damages to cargo and/or equipment.
Dangerous Goods Goods are to be considered dangerous if the transport of such goods might cause harm, risk, peril, or other evil to people, environment, equipment or any property whatsoever.
Dangerous Goods Declaration Document issued by a consignor in accordance with applicable conventions or regulations, describing hazardous goods or materials for transport purposes, and stating that the latter have been packed and labelled in accordance with the provisions of the relevant conventions or regulations.
Dangerous Goods Packing Certificate A document as part of the dangerous goods declaration in which the responsible party declares that the cargo has been stowed in accordance with the rules in a clean container in compliance with the IMDG regulations and properly secured.
Date Draft A draft that matures in a specified number of days after issuance without regard to date of acceptance.
DAF (DELIVERED AT FRONTIER) Delivered At Frontier (DAF) The seller (exporter) is responsible for all costs involved in delivering the goods to the named point and place at the frontier. Risk of loss transfers at the frontier. The buyer must pay the costs and bear the risk of unloading the goods, clearing Customs, and transporting the goods to the final destination. If FOB is the Customs valuation basis, the international insurance and freight costs must be deducted from the DAF price.
DDU (DELIVERED DUTY UNPAID) The seller (exporter) is responsible for all costs involved in delivering the goods to a named place of destination where the goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer. The buyer (importer) assumes risk of loss at that point and must clear Customs and pay duties and provide inland transportation & insurance to the final destination.
DDP (DELIVERED DUTY PAID) The seller (exporter) is responsible for all costs involved in delivering the goods to a named place of destination and for clearing Customs in the country of import. Under a DDP Incoterm, the seller provides literally door-to-door delivery, including Customs clearance in the port of export and the port of destination. Thus the seller bears the entire risk of loss until goods are delivered to the buyer's premises. A DDP transaction will read "DDP named place of destination". For example, assuming goods imported through Baltimore are delivered to Silver Spring , the Incoterm would read "DDP, Silver Spring ". If CIF is the Customs valuation basis, the costs of unloading the vessel, clearing Customs, and delivery to the buyer's premises in the country of destination including inland insurance, must be deducted to arrive at the CIF value.
Deadfreight Slots paid for but not used.
Endorsement The transfer of the right to obtain delivery of the goods of the carrier by means of the consignee's signature on the reverse side of a bill of lading. If the name of the new consignee (transferee) is not stated, the endorsement is an open one which means that every holder of the document is entitled to obtain delivery of the goods.
Ex Works Abbreviation: EXW
Export The process of carrying or sending goods to another country or countries, especially for purposes of use or sale in the country of destination. The sale of products to clients abroad.
Export Licence Document granting permission to export as detailed within a specified time.
Exporter The party responsible for the export of goods.
EXW (EX-WORKS) The seller (exporter) makes the goods available to the buyer (importer) at the seller's premises. The buyer is responsible for all transportation costs, duties, and insurance, and accepts risk of loss of goods immediately after the goods are purchased and placed outside the factory door. The Ex Works price does not include the price of loading goods onto a truck or vessel, and no allowance is made for clearing customs. If FOB is the Customs valuation basis of the goods in the country of destination, the transportation and insurance costs from the seller's premises to the port of export must be added to the Ex Works price.
FAS (FREE ALONGSIDE SHIP) The seller transports the goods from his place of business, clears the goods for export and places them alongside the vessel at the port of export, where the risk of loss shifts to the buyer. The buyer is responsible for loading the goods onto the vessel (unless specified otherwise) and for paying all costs involved in shipping the goods to the final destination.
FCA (FREE CARRIER) The seller (exporter) clears the goods for export and delivers them to the carrier and place specified by the buyer. If the place chosen is the seller's place of business, the seller must load the goods onto the transport vehicle; otherwise, the buyer is responsible for loading the goods. Buyer assumes risk of loss from that point forward and must pay for all costs associated with transporting the goods to the final destination.
FCL Full Container Load, Full Car Load.
FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION (FMC) The U.S. Federal agency responsible for overseeing Ocean Carriers, Conferences, NVOCC's and Ocean Freight Forwarders (now called OTI's - Ocean Transportation Intermediaries) at ocean ports and inland waterways.
FEEDER VESSEL A vessel that connects with a line vessel to service a port not directly served by that line vessel.
FEU (Forty foot equivalent) Term normally used in ocean freight rate negotiations referring to the equivalent of two twenty foot ocean containers.
FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations.
FLAG CARRIER An airline or vessel of one national registry whose government gives it partial or total monopoly over international routes
FLAT BED CHASSIS A semi-trailer with a level bed and no sides or tops. The floor is a standard height from the ground.
Gang A number of workmen acting together especially for loading and/or discharging operations of a vessel in combination with the necessary gear. (On a vessel for instance 6 gangs can be ordered to discharge or load.)
Garments On Hangers Clothes in containers on hangers and hung from rails during transit, reducing the handling required for the garments.
GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) - A multilateral treaty intended to help reduce trade barriers and promote tariff concessions.
General Average Act (York-Antwerp Rules) There is a general average act when, and only when any extraordinary sacrifice or expenditure is intentionally and reasonably made or incurred for the common safety for the purpose of preserving from peril the property involved in a common maritime adventure.
General Purpose Container A Container with two end walls and open sides.A container used for the carriage of general cargo without any special requirements for the transport and or the conditioning of the goods.
Hague Rules International convention for the unification of certain rules, relating to Bills of Lading (1924). These Rules include the description of responsibilities of Shipping Lines.
Hague-Visby Rules Set of rules, published in 1968, amending the Hague Rules.
Hamburg Rules United Nations Convention on the carriage of goods by sea of 1978 adopted in 1992.
Haulier Road carrier.
HI (OR HIGH) CUBE Any container exceeding 102 inches in height.
HOUSE AIR WAYBILL An air waybill issued by an airfreight consolidator.
IATA International Air Transport Association.
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) - A specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in Montreal . It promotes general development of civil aviation such as aircraft design and operation, safety procedures, and contractual agreements.
ICC (INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE) A non-governmental organization serving as a policy advocate on world business.
Idle Time The amount of ineffective time whereby the available resources are not used e.g. a container in a yard.
IGLOO A contoured structural container designed for use in main-deck carriage on narrow body aircraft.
IMPORT LICENSE A certificate issued by countries exercising import controls that permits importation of the articles stated in the license and often authorizes and/or releases the funds in payment of the importation.
INDUCEMENT When steamship lines publish in their schedules the name of a port and the words "by inducement" in parentheses, this means the vessel will call at the port if there is a sufficient amount of profitable cargo available and booked.
INLAND CARRIER A transportation line which hauls export or import cargo between ports and inland points.
INSPECTION CERTIFICATE A document certifying that merchandise was in good condition, or in accordance with certain specifications immediately prior to shipment.
Jetsam Goods thrown or lost.
Jettison The act of intentionally throwing cargo overboard e.g. with the objective of lightening a vessel, which has run aground, such for the common good of all interests: vessel, crew and remaining cargo.
Jetty A mole or breakwater, running out into the sea to protect harbours or coasts. It is sometimes used as a landing-pier.
Job That work which is undertaken to meet a customer or production order and, for production control purposes, has a unique identification.
Joint Venture A joint activity of two or more companies usually performed under a common name.
Journey A voyage from one place, port or country to another one, in case of a round trip, to the same one.
Jurisprudence Juridical decisions used for explanation and meaning of law.
KNOT, NAUTICAL The unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile: 6,080.20 feet per hour or 1.85 kilometers per hour.
Label A slip of e.g. paper or metal attached to an object to indicate the nature, ownership, destination, contents and/or other particulars of the object.
Lash To hold goods in position by the use of, e.g., wires, ropes, chains and straps.
LEGAL WEIGHT The weight of the goods plus any immediate wrappings or packagings that are sold along with the goods, e.g., the weight of a tin can as well as its contents.
Lessee The party to whom the possession of specified property has been conveyed for a period of time in return for rental payments.
Lessor The party who conveys specified property to another for a period of time in return for the receipt of rent.
LETTER OF CREDIT, CONFIRMED A letter of credit containing a guarantee on the part of both the issuing and advising banks of payment to the seller, provided the seller's documentation is in order and the terms of the letter of credit are met.
Letter of Indemnity Written statement in which one party undertakes to compensate another for the costs and consequences of carrying out a certain act. The issue of a letter of indemnity is sometimes used for cases when a shipper likes receiving a clean Bill of Lading while a carrier is not allowed to do so.
Liability Legal responsibility for the consequences of certain acts or omissions.
Lien A legal claim upon real or personal property to pay a debt or duty.
LIGHTER An open or covered barge equipped with a crane and towed by a tugboat. Used mostly in harbors and inland waterways.
LINER The word "liner" is derived from the term "line traffic," which denotes operation along definite routes on the basis of definite, fixed schedules. A liner thus is a vessel that engages in this kind of transportation, which usually involves the haulage of general cargo as distinct from bulk cargo.
Liner Conference A group of two or more vessel-operating carriers, which provides international liner services for the carriage of cargo on a particular trade route and which has an agreement or arrangement to operate under uniform or common freight rates and any other agreed conditions (e.g. FEFC = Far Eastern Freight Conference).
Liner Terms Condition of carriage denoting that costs for loading and unloading are borne by the carrier subject the custom of the port concerned.
Lloyd's Register of Shipping British classification society.
LO / LO (LIFT-ON/LIFT-OFF) Denotes the method by which cargo is loaded onto and discharged from an ocean vessel, which in this case is by the use of a crane.
LOAD FACTOR Capacity used as against capacity available and expressed as a percentage.
LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT The efficient and cost-effective management of the physical movement of goods from supply points to final sale and the associated transfer and holding of such goods at various intermediate storage points.
Marine Insurance Policy An insurance policy protecting the insured against loss or damage to his goods occurred during ocean transport.
Mate's Receipt A document signed by the chief officer of a vessel acknowledging the receipt of a certain consignment on board of that vessel. On this document, remarks can be made as to the order and condition of the consignment.
MEASUREMENT TON The measurement ton (also known as the cargo ton or freight ton) is a space measurement, usually 40 cubic feet or one cubic meter. Cargo is assessed a certain rate for every 40 cubic feet or one cubic meter it occupies.
MERCOSUR A trade alliance between Argentina, Brazil , Paraguay and Uruguay , with Chile and Bolivia as associate members.
Multimodal Transport The carriage of goods (containers) by at least two different modes of transport.
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement) - A free trade agreement comprising the U.S.A. , Canada , and Mexico
NATIONAL CARRIER A flag carrier owned or controlled by the state.
NET TERMS Free of charters' commission.
NET WEIGHT (ACTUAL NET WEIGHT) The weight of the goods alone without any immediate wrappings; e.g., the weight of the contents of a tin can without the weight of the can.
Notify Address Address of the party other than the consignee to be advised of the arrival of the goods.
Notify Party The party to be notified of arrival of goods.
OD Outside Diameter.
OPEN ACCOUNT A trade arrangement in which goods are shipped to a foreign buyer without guarantee of payment such as a note, L/C, or other formal written evidence of indebtedness.
OPEN POLICY A cargo insurance policy that is an open contract; e.g., it provides protection for all shipments in transit within a specified geographic trade area for a limited period of time. It is referred to as "open" because it does not require reporting of individual shipments. Summary or grouped reporting requirements vary with different policies.
Oncarriage The carriage of goods (containers) by any mode of transport to the place of delivery after discharge from the ocean vessel (main means of transport) at the port (place) of discharge.
One Stop Shop An organisation, which provides all needed requirements in one location.
Open Top Container A freight container similar in all respects to a general purpose container except that it has no rigid roof but may have a flexible and movable or removable cover, for example one made of canvas or plastic or reinforced plastic material normally supported on movable or removable roof bows.
O/R Owner's Risk.
Out of Gauge Cargo Cargo which dimensions are exceeding the normal dimensions of a 20 or 40 feet container, e.g. overlength, overwidth, overheight, or combinations thereof.
Outturn Report Written statement by a stevedoring company in which the condition of cargo discharged from a vessel is noted along with any discrepancies in the quantity compared with the vessel's manifest.
Overheight Cargo Cargo, exceeding the standard height.
Overlength Cargo Cargo, exceeding the standard length.
Overwidth Cargo
Owner Cargo, exceeding the standard width
PART CHARTER Where part of an airline's scheduled flight is sold as if it were a charter in its own right. Often incorrectly used as a synonym for split charter.
PART LOAD CHARTER Where a part of an aircraft's load is discharged at one destination and a part of it at another. This is distinct from a split charter where a number of consignments are carried to the same destination. Inbound, part loads are treated as single entity charters under the regulations in most countries.
PARTICULAR AVERAGE (PA) Partial loss or damage to goods.
PERILS OF THE SEA Fortuitous accidents or casualties peculiar to transportation on navigable water, such as sinking, collision of vessel, striking a submerged object, or encountering heavy weather or other unusual forces of nature.
PERISHABLES Any cargo that loses considerable value if it is delayed in transportation. This usually refers to fresh fruit and vegetables.
PHYTOSANITARY INSPECTION CERTIFICATE A certificate issued by an exporting countries' Department of Agriculture indicating that a shipment has been inspected and is free of harmful pests and plant diseases.
PILFERAGE As used in marine insurance policies, the term denotes petty thievery-the taking of small parts of a shipment-as opposed to the theft of a whole shipment or large unit. Many ordinary marine insurance policies do not cover against pilferage, and when this coverage is desired it must be added to the policy.
PORT MARKS n identifying set of letters, numbers, or geometric symbols followed by the name of the port of destination that are placed on export shipments. Foreign government requirements may be exceedingly strict in the matter of port marks.
PORT OF DISCHARGE A port where a vessel is off-loaded and cargo discharged.
PORT OF ENTRY A port at which foreign goods are admitted into the receiving country.
PORT OF LOADING A port where cargo is loaded aboard the vessel, lashed, and stowed.
PREPAID FREIGHT Generally speaking, freight charges both in ocean and air transport may be either prepaid in the currency of the country of export or they may be billed collect for payment by the consignee in his local currency. On shipments to some countries, however, freight charges must be prepaid because of foreign exchange regulations of the country of import or rules of steamship companies or airlines.
PRIMA FACIE A Latin term frequently encountered in foreign trade that means "on first appearance." When a steamship company issues a clean bill of lading, it acknowledges that the goods were received "in apparent good order and condition" and this is said by the courts to constitute prima facie evidence of the conditions of the containers; that is, if nothing to the contrary appears, it must be inferred that the cargo was in good condition when received by the carrier.
Packaging Materials used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods and the activities of placing and securing goods in those materials.
Packing Instruction Document issued within an enterprise giving instructions on how goods are to be packed.
Packing List Document specifying the contents of each individual package.
Pallet A platform on which goods can be stacked in order to facilitate the movement by a fork lift or sling.
Panamax Size The maximum measurements and dimensions of a vessel capable to pass the Panama Canal.
Payload The revenue-producing load carried by a means of transport.
Payment Against Documents Instructions given by a seller to a bank to the effect that the buyer may collect the documents necessary to obtain delivery of the goods only upon actual payment of the invoice.
Physical Distribution Those activities related to the flow of goods from the end of conversion to the customer.
Pier That part of a wharf which is intended for the mooring of vessels.
Pilferage Petty stealing of goods from a ship's hold, cargo shed or warehouse.
Quarantine The period during which an arriving vessel, including its equipment, cargo, crew or passengers, suspected to carry or carrying a contagious disease is detained in strict isolation to prevent the spread of such a disease.
Quay That part of a wharf which is intended for the mooring of vessels.
Rebate That part of a transport charge which the carrier agrees to return.
Receipt A written acknowledgement, that something has been received.
Reefer Cargo Cargo requiring temperature control.
Reefer Container A thermal container with refrigerating appliances (mechanical compressor unit, absorption unit etc.) to control the temperature of cargo.
Regroupage The process of splitting up shipments into various consignments (degroupage) and combining these small consignments into other shipments (groupage).
Release Order A document issued by or on behalf of the carrier authorising the release of import cargo identified thereon and manifested under a single Bill of Lading.
Route The track along which goods are (to be) transported.
Salvage The saving or rescue of a vessel and/or the cargo from loss and/or damage at sea.
Schedule A timetable including arrival/departure times of ocean- and feeder vessels and also inland transportation. It refers to named ports in a specific voyage (journey) within a certain trade indicating the voyage number(s). In general: The plan of times for starting and/or finishing activities.
Seal A device used for containers, lockers, trucks or lorries to proof relevant parties that they have remained closed during transport.
Ship Operator A ship operator is either the shipowner or the (legal) person responsible for the actual management of the vessel and its crew.
Ship's Protest Statement of the master of a vessel before (in the presence of) competent authorities, concerning exceptional events which occurred during a voyage.
Shipment A separately identifiable collection of goods to be carried.
Tallyman / Clerk person who records the number of cargo items together with the condition thereof at the time it is loaded into or discharged from a vessel.
Tank Container A tank, surrounded by a framework with the overall dimensions of a container for the transport of liquids or gasses in bulk.
Tanker A vessel designed for the carriage of liquid cargo in bulk.
Tare Weight of Container Mass of an empty container including all fittings and appliances associated with that particular type of container on its normal operating condition.
Tariff The schedule of rates, charges and related transport conditions.
TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED CARGO Any cargo requiring carriage under controlled temperature.
Terminal A location on either end of a transportation line including servicing and handling facilities.
Terms of Freight All the conditions agreed upon between a carrier and a merchant about the type of freight and charges due to the carrier and whether these are prepaid or are to be collected.
Ultimate Consignee Party who has been designated on the invoice or packing list as the final recipient of the stated merchandise.
Unaccompanied Baggage Luggage not accompanied by a passenger.
Unit Load A number of individual packages bonded, palletised or strapped together to form a single unit for more efficient handling by mechanical equipment.
Valuable Cargo A consignment which contains one or more valuable articles
Vanning Buying
Vendor Seller
Volume Size or measure of anything in three dimensions.
Volume Charge A charge for carriage of goods based on their volume (air cargo).
Voyage A journey by sea from one port or country to another one or, in case of a round trip, to the same port.
Voyage Charter A contract under which the shipowner agrees to carry an agreed quantity of cargo from a specified port or ports to another port or ports for a remuneration called freight, which is calculated according to the quantity of cargo loaded, or sometimes at a lumpsum freight.
Voyage Number Reference number assigned by the carrier or his agent to the voyage of the vessel.
WAR RISK INSURANCE Insurance issued by marine underwriters against war-like operations specifically described in the policy. In former times, war risk insurance was taken out only in times of war, but currently many exporters cover most of their shipments with war risk insurance as a protection against losses from derelict torpedoes and floating mines placed during former wars, and also as a safeguard against unforeseen warlike developments. In the U.S.A. , war risk insurance is written in a separate policy from the ordinary marine insurance; it is desirable to take out both policies with the same underwriter in order to avoid the ill effects of a possible dispute between underwriters as to the cause (marine peril or war peril) of a given loss.
Warehousing Those activities of holding and handling goods in a warehouse (store).
WAREHOUSE-TO-WAREHOUSE A clause in marine insurance policy whereby the underwriter agrees to cover the goods while in transit between the initial point of shipment and the point of destination with certain limitations, and also subject to the law of insurable interest. The warehouse-to-warehouse clause was once extremely important, but marine extension clauses now often override its provisions.
Warsaw Convention The Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929, or that Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol, 1955, stipulating obligations or parties and limitations and/or exonerations of carriers (air cargo).
Waybill Non-negotiable document evidencing the contract for the transport of cargo.
Weight Charge The charge for carriage of goods based on their weight (air cargo).
WEIGHT LOAD FACTOR Payload achieved as against available capacity, expressed as a percentage. Cargo is frequently limited by volume rather than weight; load factors of 100 percent are rarely achieved.
Wharf A place for berthing vessels to facilitate loading and discharging of cargo.
Wharfage The fee charged for the use of a wharf for mooring, loading or discharging a vessel or for storing goods.
WITH AVERAGE (WA) A marine insurance term meaning that shipment is protected for partial damage whenever the damage exceeds a stated percentage.
WITH PARTICULAR AVERAGE (WPA) An insurance term meaning that partial loss or damage of goods is insured. The damage generally must be caused by sea water, and many terms specify a minimum percentage of damage before payment. It may be extended to cover loss by theft, pilferage, leakage and breakage, or other perils depending on the nature of the cargo.
X-ray High frequency electromagnetic ray of short wave-length, capable of penetrating most solid substances.
X.25 International standard of the CCITT for packet switching.
X.400 A CCITT recommendation designed to facilitate international message and information exchange between subscribers of computer based store-and-forward services and office information systems in association with public and private data networks.
X.500 The CCITT now ITU recommendations (ISO9594) for the structure of directories for the maintenance of addresses used in electronic mail.
XML Extensible mark-up language is an official recommendation by the World Wide Web Consortium as a successor of HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up language) it can be used to convey documents layout and contents from one computer application to another. XML is a subset of SGML.
XML / EDI The exchange of structured information over the Internet using XML as the syntax.
Yard Fenced off, outdoor storage and repair area.
Yaw Variation of the course of a ship to port or starboard caused by the action of waves or wind.
Yield Bucket The remaining slot capacity for a trade/voyage in a certain port of loading after deduction of the allowance for specific contracts.
Yield Management The process of maximising the contribution of every slot, vessel, trade and network. Basically it should be seen as the process of allocating the right type of capacity to the right kind of customer at the right price as to maximise revenue or yield. The concept should be used in combination with load factor management.
York - Antwerp Rules There is a general average act when, and only when any extraordinary sacrifice or expenditure is intentionally and reasonably made or incurred for the common safety for the purpose of preserving from peril the property involved in a common maritime adventure.
Zone Haulage Rate The rate for which the carrier will undertake the haulage of goods or containers between either the place of delivery and the carrier's appropriate terminal. Such haulage will be undertaken only subject to the terms and conditions of the tariff and of the carrier's Combined Transport Bill of Lading.