Glossary

The world of transport and logistics is full of technical and specific terms.
We have compiled a glossary to help you understand them better!

Bill of lading (BL)

Legal document issued by a carrier to a shipper that details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried.

Blank sailing

Happens when the carrier decides to skip some stopovers in ports or even to cancel an entire route to make up for any delays (inclement weather, port congestion or closure, strike, vessel repair,…) or sometimes to reduce capacity in order to affect freight rates.

The cargo booking will be rescheduled on the next available sailing. This unfortunately often means delay and can also mean increased cost for shippers.

Bonded warehouse

Space that allows the storage of goods awaiting customs clearance.

Booking

The act of reserving space on a ship, plane, truck or train.

Break bulk (maritime)

Cargo of various goods not made up of a load unit, stowed or loaded individually.

Carrier

Transport company.

Charterer

Natural or legal person who rents a ship or another mode of transport for a specific operation or time.

Consignee

Person or party to whom goods are consigned.

Container

Box of high capacity of standardized dimensions used for the transport of goods by different modes of transport and intended to facilitate handling operations from one mode of transport to another.

Customs duty

Tax on imports.

Demurrage charges

Imposed by the shipping line for not having taken out its container filled with your cargo from the facilities or warehouses of the terminal within the prescribed time limits.

Detention fees

Imposed by the shipping line if you do not return the empty container on time.

ETA (Estimate Time of Arrival)

Commonly used for the date and time a ship is expected to reach the port of destination.

FOB (Incoterm)

The seller is responsible for packaging and securing the goods, choosing the carrier for the delivery to the port, customs export formalities, local handling charges at the loading port as well as those relating to export safety.

In return, once the cargo on board, the buyer is responsible for sea transport to the port of destination and local costs at destination, customs formalities and transport to final destination.

This incoterm is exclusively maritime.

ETD (Estimate Time of Departure)

Commonly used for the date and time a ship is expected to leave the port/terminal.

FCL (Full Container Loaded)

Full container
FCL/FCL : Full container - 1 shipper / 1 recipient.
FCL/LCL : Full container - 1 shipper / several recipients.

Feet (plural) / foot (singular)

English measurement unit.

Freight

Freight costs per ship, airplane, truck or rail.

Freight forwarding

Organization and shipment of goods from one place to another via a single or multiple carriers (air, sea, land).

General cargo

Goods that can be transported as a whole, in one piece or in several portions (pallet, barrel, box, container…).

Gross weight

Weight of the goods and their packaging.

Handling

Process by which a product is moved, packaged, lifted or transported to another place.

Incoterms (International Commercial Terms)

Set of international rules for the interpretation of trade terms most commonly used in foreign trade.

Lashing

Act of securing the cargo in order to avoid it shifts during its transport (ropes, straps,…).

LCL (Less than container load)

Grouping container, goods occupying part of the volume of a container.

LCL/FCL : Several senders / 1 recipient.
LCL/LCL : Several senders /several recipients.

Logistics

Overall process of managing how resources are acquired, stored, transported to their final destination.

Multimodal transport

Combination of several modes of transport to get from one point to another.

Net weight

Weight of goods without their packaging.

Perishable goods

Goods that deteriorate over a short time, that do not stay fresh for a long time (e.g. fruit and vegetables).

RORO (Roll on - Roll off)

Ramp loading and unloading technique on ships dedicated to vehicle transport (boarding by rolling).

Shipment

Shipping , sending of goods.

Ship owner

Person who operates a vessel.

Shipper

Person or company that transports or receives goods by sea, land, or air.

Stevedoring

Act of loading or unloading a ship's cargo.

Storage fees

Imposed by the port terminal for the storage of your cargo in its facilities or in a warehouse if you collect it after the deadline beyond the number of days free of charge.

Stowage

The arranging and packing of cargo inside a vessel for shipment.

Stuffing

Act of loading carefully a container with various goods for shipment (groupage) ensuring they are not damaged while in transit and during the de-stuffing process.

T1 / T2 (customs)

Community transit declaration. The T1 is established in a third country. T2 is established in a EU country.

Tare

Weight of the wrapping or container without the goods.

Tariff surcharges

Fees received by transport providers in addition to the negotiated tariff depending on a specific context (e.g. increase in the oil price).

TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent)

Unit in which are expressed containerized traffic and the capacity of container ships.

Transhipment

Transfer from one vessel or means of transport to another, in order to continue the transport.

Vessel

Ship or large boat.

VGM (Verified Gross Mass)

The weight of the cargo including units of packages and goods, dunnage and lashing equipment (for example packaging), as well as the tare weight of the container.

Warehouse

Building where raw materials or manufactured goods may be stored prior to their distribution for sale.

Any questions about these terms?
Our teams is always available to help you and advise you the best!

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