The key terms you need to understand a bill of lading, a customs declaration and the international shipping process — in plain English.
- Bill of Lading (B/L)
- A legal document issued by a carrier acknowledging receipt of cargo; it is a receipt, a contract of carriage, and a document of title to the goods.
- Master Bill of Lading (MBL)
- A B/L issued by the ocean carrier (shipping line) to the freight forwarder or NVOCC.
- House Bill of Lading (HBL)
- A B/L issued by a freight forwarder or NVOCC to the actual shipper, covering a single consignment.
- Consignee (CNEE)
- The party to whom the goods are shipped and who has legal title on arrival.
- Shipper / Consignor (CNOR)
- The party that sends the goods and tenders them for carriage.
- Notify Party
- The party the carrier notifies when the cargo arrives at destination.
- Freight Forwarder
- A company that organises shipments for shippers, arranging carriage, documentation and customs.
- NVOCC
- Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier — issues its own bills of lading for cargo on vessels it neither owns nor operates.
- TEU
- Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — the standard measure of container capacity (one 20-ft container = 1 TEU).
- FEU
- Forty-foot Equivalent Unit — one 40-ft container = 2 TEU.
- FCL
- Full Container Load — the shipper uses the entire container.
- LCL
- Less than Container Load — a small consignment grouped with other cargo to fill a container.
- HS Code
- Harmonized System code — a standardised 6-digit (and country-extended) code classifying traded products.
- Incoterms
- ICC-published international commercial terms defining the responsibilities of buyer and seller in a sale.
- Port of Loading (POL)
- The port where cargo is loaded onto the vessel.
- Port of Discharge (POD)
- The port where cargo is discharged from the vessel.
- Transit Time (T/T)
- The time a shipment takes to reach its destination from departure.
- ETA / ETD
- Estimated Time of Arrival / Estimated Time of Departure.
- Demurrage
- A charge for keeping a container inside the terminal beyond the allowed free time.
- Detention
- A charge for keeping a container outside the terminal (at the shipper/consignee) beyond free time.
- THC
- Terminal Handling Charge — the cost of handling containers at the port terminal.
- BAF / CAF
- Bunker Adjustment Factor / Currency Adjustment Factor — surcharges reflecting fuel price and currency fluctuations.
- Certificate of Origin
- A document certifying the country in which the goods were produced.
- Letter of Credit (L/C)
- A bank undertaking to pay the seller against presentation of specified documents.
- Packing List
- A document detailing the contents, weight and dimensions of each package in a shipment.
- Manifest
- A list of all cargo carried on a vessel or aircraft.
- Reefer
- A refrigerated container for temperature-controlled cargo.
- Break Bulk
- Cargo shipped loose in the vessel's hold rather than in containers.
- RO/RO
- Roll-on/Roll-off — a vessel onto which wheeled cargo is driven via a ramp.
- Transshipment
- Transferring cargo from one vessel to another en route to the final destination.
- Bonded Warehouse
- A secure facility where dutiable goods are stored without payment of duty until released.
- Customs Broker
- A licensed agent who clears goods through customs on behalf of importers/exporters.
- Gross / Net Weight
- Gross = goods plus packaging and container; Net = weight of the goods alone.
- CIF Value
- The value of goods including Cost, Insurance and Freight to the destination port.
- FOB Value
- The value of goods including all costs up to loading on board at the port of export.
Every one of these fields appears in the records in our Bill of Lading database. ← Back to all resources