C&F
Additional abbreviation for CFR, “Cost and Freight”
Incoterms
C.N.
Cover Note
C.O.G.S.A.
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
C.P.
Charter Party
C.R.O.
Canceling (of policy) Returns Only
C.T.L.
Constructive Total Loss
C/D
Country Damage
Cabotage
1. Transport of goods between two ports or places located in the same country. 2. Transport of cargo in a country other than the country where the vehicle is registered (road cargo). 3. The carriage of a container from a surplus area to an area in which equipment is needed.
CAD
Cash against Documents
CAF
Currency Adjustment Factor
Call
Visit of a vessel to a port.
Capacity Control
Process of registering and steering of capacity.
Capacity Optimization
Activities to maximize the amount of freight that is carried in the hold space of an aircraft.
Cargo
Goods to be transported.
Cargo Accounts Settlement System
Abbreviation: CASS. System for automated account settlement between participating IATA airlines, billing participants and part participants, on the one hand and their appointed IATA cargo agents on the other hand (air cargo).
Cargo Aircraft
Any aircraft other than a passenger aircraft or a combi.
Cargo Assembly
Separate reception of parcels or packages and the holding of them for later dispatch as one consignment.
Consolidation
Cargo Disassembly
Break Bulk
Cargo Handling
Physical handling of goods.
Cargo IMP
Cargo Interchange Message Procedures
Cargo Interchange Message Procedures
Abbreviation: Cargo IMP. Procedures developed by the member airlines of the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Cargo Manifest
List including all particulars of consignments.
Cargo Restriction Code
Code indicating that the use of a certain container is restricted to particular cargo.
Cargo Tracer
Information sent by the agent or airline to all relevant parties, stating that certain cargo is either missing or arrived in excess.
Carnet ATA
Customs document permitting the holder to carry or send merchandise temporarily into certain foreign countries (for display, demonstration or similar purposes) without completing normal customs formalities. With a carnet, the holder avoids paying duties or posting bonds.
Carriage
Process of transporting (conveying) cargo, from one point to another.
Synonym: Transport
Carriage and Insurance Paid to (... Named Place of Destination)
Abbreviation: CIP. Incoterm
Incoterms
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
Abbreviation: C.O.G.S.A. 1936 U.S. Statute that governs the acts that a carrier is responsible for and defines the terms used in shipping. The act provides that the shipowner’s liability will be limited to $500 per shipping package, and it stipulates a one-year time limit for filing suit against the carrier. This act automatically applies to international ocean movements but not to domestic ocean transits unless the carrier agrees to be bound by it.
Carriage Paid to (... Named Place of Destination)
Abbreviation: CPT. Incoterm
Incoterms
Carrier
Company that carries the cargo, e.g. shipping line, airline, trucking company, etc.
Carrier Haulage
Inland transport service performed by the sea-carrier under the terms and conditions of the relevant transport document.
Merchant Inspired Carrier Haulage
Carriers’ Lien
Right to retain the property as security for the payment of services, material, or money expended on that property. E.g.: When the shipper ships goods “collect”, the carrier has a possessory claim on these goods, which means that the carrier can retain possession of the goods as security for the charges due.
Carrying Temperature
Required cargo temperature during transport and storage.
Setting/Air Delivery Temperature
Cartage
Haulage
Cash Against Documents
Abbreviation: CAD. Payment condition which implies transfer of title at time of payment.
Cash in Advance
Abbreviation: CIA. Payment condition which implies up-front payment before transfer of title of goods.
Cash on Delivery
Abbreviation: COD. Payment condition which implies payment of goods at the time of physical transfer.
Cash with Order
Abbreviation: CWO. Payment condition which implies payment when order is placed.
CASS
Abbreviation for: Cargo Accounts Settlement System.
Part-Participant Settlement Office
CASS Airline
Airline, fully participating in the CASS.
CCTV
Closed Circuit Television.
Cell
Location on board of a container vessel where one container can be stowed.
Cell Position
Location of a cell on board of a container vessel identified by a code for, respectively, the bay, the row and the tier, indicating the exact position of a container on that vessel.
Bay
Cell-Guide
Steel bars and rails used to steer containers during loading and discharging whilst sliding in the ship.
Fully Cellular Containership
Cellular Vessel
Vessel, specially designed and equipped for the carriage of containers.
CENSA
Council of European and Japanese National Ship-owners’ Associations
Center of Gravity
Point at which the entire weight of a body may be considered as concentrated so that if supported at this point the body would remain in equilibrium in any position.
Meta-Centric Height
Certificate
Document by which a fact is formally or officially attested and in which special requirements and conditions can be stated.
Certificate of Analysis
Document, often required by an importer or government authorities, attesting to the quality or purity of commodities.
Certificate of Classification
Certificate, issued by the classification society, stating the class under which a vessel or an aircraft is registered.
Certificate of Free Sale
Certificate, required by some countries as evidence that the goods are normally sold on the open market and approved by the regulatory authorities in the country of origin.
Certificate of Inspection
Document confirming that cargo has been inspected by a competent authority (SGS, Bureau Veritas or any national authority) before dispatch.
Certificate of Insurance
Document presented by the insurance company or insured as evidence that insurance is in effect. The insured may assign their rights under this negotiable document to a third party, usually the consignee, by endorsing the reverse of the certificate.
Certificate of Manufacture
Statement (often notarized) in which a producer of goods certifies that manufacture has been completed and that the goods are now at the disposal of the buyer.
Certificate of Origin
Statement signed by the exporter, or its agent, and attested to by a local Chamber of Commerce, indicating that the goods being shipped, or a major percentage of them, originated and were produced in the exporter’s country.
CFR
Incoterm for “Cost and Freight (... named port of destination)”
Synonym: C&F.
Incoterms
CFS
Container Freight Station
Charge Type
Separate, identifiable element of charges to be used in the pricing/rating of common services rendered to customers.
Charter Contract
Charter Party
Charter Party
Written contract, usually on a special form, between the owner of a vessel and a “charterer” who rents use of the vessel or a part of its freight space. The contract generally includes the freight rates and the ports involved in the transportation.
Synonym for Airfreight: Charter Contract;
Bareboat Charter Demise Charter Lump-Sum Charter Slot Charter
Space Charter Time Charter
Charterer
Person who has signed a charter party with the owner of a vessel or an aircraft and thus hires or leases the same vessel or aircraft or a part of the capacity thereof on a legal basis.
CIA
Cash in Advance
CIF
Incoterm for “Cost, Insurance and Freight (... named port of destination)”
Incoterms
CIF and C
Cost, Insurance, Freight and Commission.
CIM
Convention Internationale Concernant le Transport des Marchandises par Chemin de Fer
CIP
Incoterm for “Carriage and Insurance Paid to
(... named place of destination)”
Incoterms
City Terminal Service
Shuttle service between city and airport.
Class Rate
Rate applicable to a specifically designated class of goods (air cargo).
General Cargo Rate
Classification
Arrangement according to a systematic division of a number of objects into groups, based on some likeness or some common traits.
Classification Society
Organization, whose main function is to carry out surveys of vessels, its purpose being to set and maintain standards of construction and upkeep for vessels, their engines and their safety equipment. A classification society also inspects and approves the construction of shipping containers.
Bureau Veritas Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd Lloyd’s Register of Shipping
Clean Bill of Lading
Receipt for goods issued by a shipping line that indicates that the goods were received in “apparent good order and condition”, without damage or other irregularities.
Foul Bill of Lading Letter of Indemnity
Clean Draft (Bill of Exchange)
Draft with no accompanying documents.
Clean on Board
When goods are loaded on board and the document issued in respect to these goods is clean. Note: Through the usage of the UCP 500 rules the term has now become superfluous.
Clearence Terminal
Terminal where customs facilities for the clearance of goods are available.
Cleared without Examination
Abbreviation: CWE. Cleared by customs without inspection.
Clip on Unit
Abbreviation: COU. Detachable aggregate for a temperature controlled container (Conair).
Closed Ventilated Container
Container of a closed type, similar to a general-purpose container, but specially designed for carriage of cargo where ventilation, either natural or mechanical (forced), is necessary.
CLP
Container Load Plan
CMR
Convention Relative au Contrat de Transport International de Marchandises par Route
Co-Insurance
Where two or more parties share the same risk. A co-insurer is not obliged to follow the decision of another co-insurer, except where they have given authority for the other party to act on their behalf. Each co-insurance is a separate contract with the insured.
Co-Loading
Combination of cargo from another shipper or carrier, having the same final destination as the cargo base load.
COD
Cash on Delivery
Cofferdam
Empty space on board of a vessel between two bulkheads or two decks separating oil tanks from each other and/or the engine room or other compartments.
Collapsible Container
Container which can be easily folded, disassembled and reassembled.
Collect Freight
Freight which is payable to the carrier when the merchandise arrives at the port of discharge named in the Bill of Lading.
Collecting Bank
Bank to which a remitting bank sends draft for collection.
Advice of Fate
Collection Papers
All documents (Commercial invoices, Bills of Lading, etc.) submitted to a buyer for the purpose of receiving payment for a shipment.
Collision
Physical impact between two or more vehicles. In collision liability insurance, the term does not include contact of the insured vessel with anything other than a ship or vessel.
Perils of the Sea
Combi Aircraft
Aircraft, carrying passengers and cargo upper deck.
Combination Chassis
Chassis which can carry either one 40-foot or two
20-foot containers.
Combination Joint Rate
Joint rate which is obtained by combining two or more published rates (air cargo).
Combined Transport
Intermodal transport where the major part of the journey is by one mode and any initial and/or final leg carried out by another mode.
Synonym: Multimodal Transport
Combined Transport Document
Combined Transport Document
Abbreviation: CTD. Negotiable or non-negotiable document evidencing a contract for the performance of combined transport of goods.
Synonym: Multimodal Transport Document
Combined Transport Operator
Abbreviation: CTO. Party that undertakes to carry goods with different modes of transport.
Synonym: Multimodal Transport Operator
Commercial Invoice
Document issued by the seller to the buyer, which gives detail of merchandise sold, number of units being shipped, per unit cost and the terms of sale.
Declaration of Origin
Commercial Set
Set of four “negotiable” documents that represents and takes the place of the goods themselves in the financing of the cargo sales transaction.
Commodity
Indication of the type of goods. Commodities are coded according to the harmonized system.
Harmonized System
Commodity Box Rate
Rate classified by commodity and quoted per container.
Harmonized System
Commodity Code
Code used in the Harmonized System for the classification of goods which are most commonly produced and traded.
Commodity Item Number
Specific description number required in air transport to indicate that a specific freight rate applies.
Common Carrier
Transporter that provides its services to the general public for the transportation of goods over a definite route and according to a regular schedule.
Compromised Total Loss
Arranged settlement on a hull policy where there is no claim for actual or constructive total loss, but where it is impractical to repair the vessel.
Conair Container
Thermal container served by an external cooling system (e.g. a vessel’s cooling system or a Clip on Unit), which regulates the temperature of the cargo. Note: Conair is a brand name.
Clip on Unit
Conditions of Carriage
General terms and conditions established by a carrier in respect of the carriage.
Conditions of Contract
Terms and conditions of a transportation contract.
Cones
Devices for facilitating the loading, positioning and lashing of containers. The cones insert into the bottom castings of the container.
Synonym: Locating Pin
Conference
Liner Conference
Confirmed Letter of Credit
Letter of Credit, issued by a foreign bank, with validity confirmed by a bank of origin. A seller that requires a confirmed Letter of Credit from the buyer is assured of payment by the origin bank even if the foreign buyer or the foreign bank defaults.
Connecting Carrier
Carrier to whose services the cargo is to be transferred for onward connecting transport.
Connecting Road Haulage
Drayage
Consignee
Party, mentioned in the transport document, by whom the goods, cargo or containers are to be received.
Consignment
Separate identifiable number of goods to be transported from one shipper to one consignee.
Synonym: Shipment
Consignment Instructions
Shipping Instructions
Consignment Note
Document prepared by the shipper and comprising a transport contract. It contains details of the consignment to be carried to the port of loading and it is signed by the inland carrier as proof of receipt.
Consignment Stock
Stock of goods with an external party (customer) which is still the property of the supplier. Payment for these goods is made to the supplier at the moment when they are sold.
Consignor
Shipper
Consolidated Container
Container filled with several shipments from different shippers for delivery to one or more consignees.
Consolidation
Grouping together of smaller consignments of goods into a large consignment for carriage as a larger unit in order to obtain a reduced rate.
Cargo Assembly Consolidation Point
Consolidation Point
Location where consolidation of consignments takes place.
Consolidator
Firm or company which consolidates cargo.
Constructive Total Loss
Position which exists when the cost of repairing or recovering lost or damaged property plus the value of the salvage would exceed the property’s value when repaired or recovered.
Abandonment Compromised Total Loss Notice of Abandonment
Consular Declaration
Formal statement, made by the consulate of a foreign country.
Consular Documents
Bills of Lading, certificates of origin or special invoice forms that are officially legalized by the consul of the country of destination.
Consular Invoice
Document, required by some foreign countries, describing a shipment of goods and showing information such as the shipper, consignee, and value of the shipment. Certified by a consular official of the foreign country, it is used by the country’s customs officials to verify the value, quantity, and nature of the shipment.
Container
Item of equipment as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for transport purposes. It must be of: a) a permanent character and accordingly strong enough to be suitable for repeated use; b) specially designed to facilitate the carriage of goods, by one or more modes of transport without intermediate reloading; c) fitted with devices permitting its ready handling, particularly from one mode of transport to another; d) so designed as to be easy to fill and empty; e) having an internal volume of 1 m3 or more. The term container includes neither vehicles nor conventional packing.
Synonym: Freight Container
Container Bolster
Container floor without sides or end walls which does not have the ISO corner fittings and is generally used for Ro/Ro operations. Note: A bolster cannot be handled either full or empty by a container spreader without special fittings.
Synonym: Bolster
Container Chassis
Vehicle specially built for the purpose of transporting containers.
Container Check Digit
7th digit of the serial number of a container used to check whether prefix and serial number are correct.
Container Depot
Storage area for empty containers.
Container Freight Station
Abbreviation: CFS. Term CFS at loading ports refers to the location designated by carriers for the receiving of cargo to be packed into containers by the carrier. At discharge ports, the term CFS refers to the location designated by carriers in the port area for unpacking and delivery of cargo.
Container Lease
Contract by which the owner of containers (leasing company, lessor) gives the use of containers to a shipping line or other lessee for a specified period of time.
Container Load Plan
List of items loaded in a specific container and where appropriate, their sequence of loading.
Container Manifest
Container Logistics
Controlling and positioning of containers.
Container Manifest
Document specifying the contents of particular freight containers or other transport units, prepared by the party responsible for their loading into the container or unit.
Synonym: Unit Packing List Container Load Plan
Container Number
Identification number of a container consisting of prefix and serial number and check digit (e.g. KNLU 123456-7).
Container Serial Number Container Prefix
Container Platform
Container floor without sides or end walls which can be loaded by spreader directly and is generally used for off-size cargo.
Container Pool
Certain stock of containers which is jointly used by several container carriers and/or leasing companies.
Container Prefix
Four-letter code that forms the first part of a container identification number indicating the owner of a container.
Synonym: Owner’s Container Code
Container Safety Convention
Abbreviation: CSC. International convention for safe containers.
Container Serial Number
Seven digit serial number (6 plus 1 Check Digit) that forms the second part of a container identification number.
Container Service Charges
Charges to be paid by cargo interests as per local port tariffs.
Container Size Code
Two digit indication of the nominal length and nominal height of a container.
Container Size / Type
Description of the size and type of a freight container or similar unit load device as specified in ISO 6346.
Container Stack
Two or more containers, one placed above the other forming a vertical column.
Stack
Container Sublease
Contract by which a carrier gives the use of containers to another carrier for a specified period of time and for a fixed payment.
Container Terminal
Place where loaded and/or empty containers are stored awaiting dispatch or pick up.
Container Type Code
Two digits, the first of which indicates the category and the second of which indicates certain physical characteristics or other attributes of a container.
Container Yard
Abbreviation: CY. Facility at which containers are received from or delivered to the merchant by or on behalf of the carrier.
Synonym: Marshalling Yard
Containerized
Indication that goods have been stowed in a container.
Contingency Insurance
Secondary insurance coverage which will protect the insured’s financial interest if the primary insurance cover effected by others does not respond for a covered loss (Seller’s Insurance).
Contraband
Goods forbidden by national law to be imported or exported.
Contract
Agreement enforceable by law, between two or more parties stipulating their rights and obligations.
Contract Logistics
Contracting out of all the warehousing, transport and distribution activities or a part thereof by manufacturing companies.
Contract of Affreightment
Affreightment
Contractual Carrier
The contractual carrier (called NVO, Non Vessel Operator or NVOC, Non Vessel Operating Carrier) is a party which contracts carriage of goods for the account of the Merchants and fulfills its commitment by using the services of a carrier (sometimes referred to as the “actual” carrier).
Contractual Port of Loading
Port at which an ocean vessel does not call, but which is equalized with the actual port of call and upon which inland haulage services and inland tariffs are based. Note: Generally speaking it is seen as the port mentioned on the B/L from which cargo is accepted (e.g. delivered by the consignee for sea transport).
Synonym: Commercial POL/POD
Contribution
This relates to situations where more than one party covers the risk. Each party is deemed to be liable for its portion of the loss. If the insured has recovered in full from one insurer, that insurer is entitled to recover from the other insurer that part of the loss which should have been paid by the latter. The term, as used in marine insurance, also applies to contributions paid by the insured in connection with salvage and/or General Average.
Contributory Value General Average Bond General Average Statement Protection and Indemnity Club Valuation Clause
Contributory Value
Value of property saved as a result of a General Average Act which forms the basis for determining each party’s contribution in General Average.
Convention Internationale Concernant le Transport des Marchandises par Chemin de Fer
Abbreviation: CIM. International agreement, applied by 19 European railway companies, setting out conditions for international railway transport of goods and the liabilities of the carrier.
Convention Relative au Contrat de Transport International de Marchandise par Route
Abbreviation: CMR. Convention for the international carriage of goods by road, setting out the conditions of carriage and the liabilities of the carrier. Note: Adherence to this set of regulations reflects a desire to standardize items such as documentation and rules on the carriers liability.
Conventional Cargo
Break Bulk Cargo
Convertible Currency
Currency that can be bought and sold for other currencies at free-trade.
Convertor Dolly
Auxiliary undercarriage assembly consisting of a chassis, fifth wheel and tow-bar used to convert a semi-trailer or a container chassis to a full trailer.
Conveyance
Transport of goods from one place to another.
Conveyor
Mechanical device in the form of a continuous belt used for transporting cargo.
Core Competence
Combination of individual skills and use of technologies that underlay the various products and/or services of a business.
Corner Fittings
Fittings located at the corners of containers providing means of supporting, stacking, handling and securing the container.
Synonym: Corner Casting
Corner Post
Vertical structural member at either side of an “end frame” of a container joining a top and a bottom corner fitting (and thereby forming a “corner structure”).
Correspondent Bank
Bank that, in its own country, handles the business of a foreign bank.
Cost and Freight (… Named Port of Destination)
Abbreviation: CFR. Incoterm
Incoterms
Cost, Insurance and Freight (… Named Port of Destination)
Abbreviation: CIF. Incoterm
Incoterms
COU
Clip on Unit
Council of European and Japanese National Shipowners’ Associations
Abbreviation: CENSA. Main objectives of this organization are to promote and protect sound shipping policies in all sectors of shipping, to coordinate and present the views of its members and to exchange views with other shipowner groups.
Count Bill of Lading
Bill of Lading which shows the actual number of units being shipped.
Countertrade
Sale of goods or services that are paid for in whole or in part by the transfer of goods or services from a foreign country.
Barter
Country Damage
Damage caused by dirt, mud, etc., to commodities before they are shipped.
Country of Departure
Country from which a certain means of transport is scheduled to depart or has departed.
Country of Dispatch
Country from which the goods are shipped.
Country of Origin
Country of Origin
Country where the merchandise was grown, mined, or manufactured. In instances where the country of origin cannot be determined, transactions are credited to the country of dispatch.
Country of Dispatch
Country of Provenance
Country of origin of goods or cargo being sent to the importing country.
Cover Note
Non-negotiable document evidencing insurance which may or may not indicate the terms of cover.
CPT
Incoterm for “Carriage Paid to (... named place of destination)”.
Incoterms
Crane
Machine designed for moving and lifting weight by means of a movable projecting arm or a horizontal beam which is able to travel over a certain distance.
Credit Risk Insurance
Insurance designed to cover risks of nonpayment for delivered goods.
Crew Member
Any person actually employed for duties on board during a voyage in the working or service of a ship and included in the crew list (IMO).
Crosstrade
1. Used in shipping for the services of a vessel between nations other than the nation in which the vessel is registered. 2. Term used in the freight forwarding industry for the transportation services between nations other than the nation in which the cargo’s principle is domiciled (UNCTAD).
CSC
Container Safety Convention
CTD
Combined Transport Document
CTO
Combined Transport Operator
Currency
Medium of exchange of value, defined by reference to the geographic location of the authorities responsible for it (ISO 4217). In general, the monetary unit is represented by a name or a symbol.
Currency Adjustment Factor
Abbreviation: CAF. Adjustment applied by shipping lines or liner conferences on freight rates to offset losses or gains for carriers resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates of tariff currencies.
Customer Pick Up
Cargo picked up by a customer at a warehouse.
Customer Service Level
Performance measure of customer service. Note: Generally this is seen as the degree with which customer orders can be executed, in accordance with the terms which are generally accepted in the market.
Customhouse Broker
Individual or firm licensed to enter and clear goods through customs.
Customs
Authorities designated to collect duties levied by a country on imports and exports. The term also applies to the procedures involved in such collection.
Customs Broker
Authorized agent specialized in customs clearance procedures on account of importers/exporters.
Customs Clearance Agent
Customs Clearance Agent
Customs broker or other agent of the consignee designated to perform customs clearance services for the consignee.
Customs Broker
Customs Entry Form
Form required by customs authorities for merchandise entering the country. It indicates the country of origin, description of merchandise and the amount of estimated duty to be paid before merchandise is released.
Customs Invoice
Document required by customs in an importing country in which the seller states the price (e.g. selling price, price of identical goods), and specifies costs for freight, insurance and packing, etc., terms of delivery and payment. This is for the purpose of determining the customs value in the importing country of goods consigned to that country.
Customs Value
Worth of an item or group of items expressed in a monetary amount, within a consignment declared to customs for duty and statistical reasons.
Customs Invoice
Cut-Off Time
Last point before a flight departs at which freight will be accepted to travel on that flight.
CWE
Cleared without Examination
CWO
Cash with Order
CY
Container Yard
Cycle Stock
That portion of stock available or planned to be available in a given period for normal demand, excluding excess stock and safety stock.
