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Air Way Bill (AWB)
Air transport contract

BAF - Bunker Adjustment Factor
Variable adjustment (positive or negative) applied to sea freight to take into account variations in bunker rates.

Barrel
Thick carton with double or triple ribbing, particularly rigid and very sturdy in which crockery, glassware and fragile items are packed in bubble wrap.

Bill of Lading - BL
Document issued by the shipowner, giving details of the goods shipped, the crate numbers, rate of freight, the ports, etc., which gives the consignee the right to the goods, and hence is negotiable.

Bonded warehouse
Goods are stored here and duties are paid to the customs authorities when goods are released from the warehouse for export or domestic sale. Very useful for removal operations because the goods can be kept here to avoid having to park them on the quay.

Bull-kraft
2-part protective paper: the bubble part absorbs shocks and prevents rubbing between two items placed alongside each other in the container, while the kraft part insulates the piece of furniture from the plastic sheet that might mark the wood.

Bull-pack
The bubble pack absorbs collision impacts throughout the transportation operation, protecting fragile objects by surrounding them with an air cushion.

CAF - Currency Adjustment Factor
Variable adjustment (positive or negative) applied to sea freight to take into account variations in exchange rates.

Carrier
Company that handles the transport from port to port or airport to airport.

Carrier Security Fee (CSF)
Fee applied by certain carriers to pass on extra security costs.

CFR Cost & Freight
Incoterm meaning that the vendor incurs all the costs up to on board vessel at port of destination. However, the transfer of responsibility from vendor to buyer takes place when the cargo clears the rail in the port of shipment.

CIF Cost Insurance & Freight
Same as CFR but, in addition, shipper subscribes an insurance policy covering damages to the goods during transportation up to port of destination.

C.M.R.
International Geneva convention on the carriage of goods by road.

Container truck
Truck specifically designed for transporting containers.

Containers - 20’ , 40’ Et 40’ High Cube
International transport units of standardized dimensions permitting goods to be loaded by the exporter and unloaded by the importer without any further handling during their voyage by land and sea.

CSC - Conteneur Service Charge
Fee for loading or unloading goods between ship and quay.
See also THC.

Customs broker
Person who draws up and signs a customs declaration.

Customs classification
Codification in 12 figures for determining the duties to be paid
on the goods.

Customs clearance fee
Fee paid for the customs clearance operations.


Customs inspection
Physical examination of the declared goods by the customs authorities.

Demurrage
Extra charge applied by a shipowner when a container stays on a terminal over the free time period.

Export bonded warehouse
Warehouse approved by the customs authorities in which goods can be stored and declared for export.
Used very often for goods grouped together in a container.

Feeder ship
A ship used notably on short sea routes for the transhipment of containers between major and smaller ports.

FCL - Full Container Load
Entire shipment loaded in a single container.

FOB - Free On Board
Incoterm meaning that the vendor incurs all the costs until the goods are loaded on board the ship in the port of shipment.

Frontier
Limit between two states.

Harbour terminal
All the quays and areas used for loading and unloading cargo and for the reception and delivery of goods.

Haulage
Road transportation of goods

Incoterms
Abbreviation of INternational COmmercial TERMS: rules codifying the clauses of international trade. First published in 1936, they are updated regularly.

Inventory
Statement by the client listing his personal belongings. This document is compulsory for the customs operations, both incoming and outgoing (the list is detailed, with numbers of items, and signed).

Lashing
Immobilising a vehicle with one or more chocks placed against
the wheels.

LCL - Less than a Container Load
Goods whose volume is insufficient to fill a container and needing to be loaded and/or unloaded with other goods in the same situation.

Manifest
Exhaustive list of the merchandise making up the cargo of a ship or container.

Mobile lift platforms
Removal truck with lift used to avoid difficult manœuvres in narrow stairwells or lifts and for high apartments.

Padded removal truck
Removal truck with padded sides for transporting fragile objects and furniture.

Regular service
Shipowner sailing to a series of ports on a regular basis.

RO-RO
Roll-on roll-off ship for horizontal loading.

Shipper
The sender of the goods or personal effects.

Shipping Agent
Representative of the shipowner in a port.

Ship's bag
Method of sending documents to the consignee on board the ship.

Stevedore
Company that handles cargo in a commercial port.

Stevedoring
Loading and unloading of merchant ships.

Stripping
Unloading of goods from a container.

Stuffing
Loading of goods into a container.

Terminal Security Charge (TSC)
Charge to cover the security costs of the terminal.

THC - Terminal Handling Charge
Charge for loading or unloading goods between ship and quay.
See also CSC.