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Glossary of overseas shipping terms

Posted By: admin on October 30, 2010 at 10:42 pm

If you are new to shipping cargo overseas, there are probably a lot of new terms that you may come across. Here’s a list of common terms that are used on a day to day basis when shipping overseas.

Acronym	Full form	Definition
ATA	Actual time of arrival	This specifies the actual time at which the cargo arrives at a specified point at a destination.
AWB	Airway bill	Type of bill that serves as a receipt of goods by an airline and a contract between the shipper and the carrier.
BOL	Bill of Lading	A type of document that is used to acknowledge the receipt of shipment of goods. It also indicates the vessel on which the goods have been placed, their intended destination and the terms for transporting the shipment.
CNS	Cargo Network Services	CNS is an organisation that was founded to serve the needs of the air cargo industry in the United States.
C of O	Certificate of Origin	A document which states from which the shipped goods originate. Originate here does not mean the country from where they were shipped but where they were produced.
CAF	Currency Adjustment factor	Freight surcharge imposed by international carriers to offset foreign currency fluctuations.
ETA	Estimated time of arrival	Measure of when the cargo is expected to reach its destination.
FCL	Full container load	Admitted weight limit for a container up to which it can be loaded.
HAZMAT	Hazardous materials	Used to mark cargo that contains materials that are harmful to any organism and/or the environment.
	Hub	A centrally located warehouse where shipments are rerouted to other hubs or terminals.
IATA	International Air Transport Association	IATA is the trade association of the world’s airline industry.
MAWB	Master Air Waybill	The contract of carriage between the forwarder and carrier. It covers the transport of cargo from airport to airport.
PRO number	Progressive number	It is a series of numbers that are used to track consignments and also as reference for freight movements.
RFQ	Request for Quotation	Standard business procedure to invite consumers to bid on services.
STC	Said to contain	Bill of lading term that states that the carrier acknowledges only the total number of packages but not their contents or their value. So in case of insurance claims the carrier shall be responsible only for the number of packages.
ULD	Unit Loading Device	Standard loading device that fits into an aeroplane’s belly.