Directory of Maritime Logistics Abbreviations & Meanings

Incoterms

Incoterms, widely-used terms of sale, are a set of 11 internationally recognized rules which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers. Incoterms specify who is responsible for paying for and managing the shipment, insurance, documentation, customs clearance, and other logistical activities.

Short form	Full designation
EXW	Ex Works
FCA	Free Carrier
CPT	Carriage Paid To
CIP	Carriage and Insurance Paid to
DPU	Delivered Place Unloaded
DAP	Delivered At Place
DDP	Delivered Duty Paid
FAS	Free Alongside Ship
FOB	Free On Board
CFR	Cost and Freight
CIF	Cost, Insurance and Freight

 

Logistics Dictionary

Short form	Full designation	Description
3PL	Third Party Logistics	A company’s use of a third-party to outsource its distribution, warehousing and other services.
4PL	Fourth Party Logistics	A company outsources its logistics organisation and management to a single partner. 4PL providers manage the complete supply chain on behalf of the manufacturer or service provider.
ADR	Accord Dangereux Routier	ADR stands for Dangerous Goods by Road (European regulations concerning the international transport of dangerous goods by road).
AGS	Aden Gulf Surcharge	Gulf of Aden Surcharge is the surcharge due to security measures when sailing through the Gulf of Aden
AGV	Automated Guided Vehicle	Materials handling robot that follows along marked long lines or wires on the floor, or uses radio waves, vision cameras, magnets, or lasers for navigation. They are most often used in industrial applications, such as factories and warehouses.
AS/RS	Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems	Consists of a variety of computer-controlled systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined storage locations.
ATA	Actual Time of Arrival	The exact time of arrival at its destination
ATA-Carnet	Temporary Admission	International temporary export and import document which simplifies the customs clearance and replaces all export, import and transit documents.
ATD	Actual Time of Departure	The exact time of departure from the point of origin
ATR-Certificate	Admission Temporaire Roulette Certificate	Customs document that can be used with trade between EU countries and Turkey.
AW	Actual Weight	Actual weight is exactly what the product weighs including packaging.
AWB	Air Way Bill	Transportation document for airfreight.
B/L	Bill of Loading	Required document issued by a carrier to a shipper, detailing a type of shipment, quantity and the destination of the shipment.
B2B	Business to Business	Trade between companies.
B2C	Business to Consumer	Trade between company and the consumer of the goods.
BAF	Bunker Adjustement Factor	Surcharge levied on shipping companies, the floating price level of fuel in ocean freight shipping and is typically updated on a quarterly basis.
Barcode	Barcode	Identification of the goods
Block pallet	Block pallet	Type of pallet with 9 blocks of wood placed in all four corners. The dimensions of a block pallet are 120 x 100 cms.
Break Bulk	Goods that must be loaded individually	Goods that cannot be transported in or on a container by (ocean going) vessel due to their exceptionally large dimensions or weight.
Bulk	Goods that is transported unpackaged in large quantities	Bulk shipping is the transportation of goods in large quantity, usually not packed but loaded directly into a vessel.
CAF	Currency Adjustment Factor	Currency surcharge.
Carrier	Company that provides transportation services	A company that is legally entitled to transport goods by land, water, and air.
CBM	Cubic Meter	A volume that is made by a cube that is 1 meter on each side.
Chassis	Semi hangar	Trailer chassis for transporting goods in containers.
CMR	Carriage of goods document	CMR stands for (Convention relative au contrat de transport international de marchandises par route). Is a carriage of goods document, used during international trade activities when goods are being transported by road.
Co-Loader	A co-loader consolidates LCL shipments	A third party who consolidates the cargo of two or more LCL shipments in a container before handing it over to the carrier.
COD	Change of Destination	Change of agreed delivery address
Commodity	Commodity	A commodity is a good used in commerce.
Community Goods	Community Goods	Community goods are goods that are still in free circulation in the EU. As such, no import duties have to be paid on these goods.
Consignee	Consignee	The consignee is the reciever of the goods.
Consignor	Sender/Shipper	The sender/shipper of the goods is where the goods is sent/shipped from.
Consolidation	Consolidation	Consolidation is the process where a carrier or a shipping company combines several smaller shipments into one full container.
Control Tower	Control Tower	An expert group that seamlessly manages, drives and further develops the supply chain and product flow for your business.
Conversion Key	Conversion Key	Conversion factor from cbm/LM to weight.
COO	Certficate Of Origin	A document declaring in which country a commodity or good was manufactured.
Cross-docking	Cross-docking	Cross-docking is the practice of unloading goods from inbound delivery vehicles and loading them directly onto outbound vehicles
Customs Clearance	Customs Clearance	The act of taking goods through the customs authority to facilitate the movement of cargo into a country (import) and outside the country (export)
CW	Chargeable Weight	The actual gross weight or the volumetric weight of the shipment – whichever is higher.
CY	Container Yard	Location of where containers are stored on the terminal or dry port before they are loaded or offloaded from a ship.
Deep Sea	Deep Sea	The maritime transport of goods on intercontinental routes, crossing ocean
D/O	Delivery Order	A document from a consignee, or an owner or his agent of freight carrier which orders the release of the transportation of cargo to another party
Demurrage	Demmurage	A document from the consignee, shipper, or owner of freight, ordering a terminal operator, carrier or warehouseman to deliver freight to another party.
Detention	Detention	The charged payment by shipping companies to their clients for the use of their containers outside the free period, after they have left the terminal.
DGD	Dangerous Goods Declaration	Document for the shipper to provide critical information to the aircraft operator or carrier in a format that is consisten throughout the transportation industry.
DGR	Dangerous Goods Regulations	Global reference for shipping dangerous goods by air and the only standard recognized by the global Airline industry.
Dry Bulk Cargo	Dry Bulk Cargo	Dry bulk cargoes cover a range of produce and raw materials that have two features in common: they are unpacked and are homogeneous
EAN	European Article Numbering	A series of letters and numbers in a unique order that helps identify specific products within your own inventory.
EDD	Explosives Detection Dogs	Screening technique for explosives detection, with this screening method dogs are used.
EDI	Electronic Data Interchange	The intercompany communication of business documents in a standard format.
ERP	Enterprise Resource Planning	A process used by companies to manage and integrate the important parts of their businesses.
ETA	Estimated Time of Arrival	The time when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or person is expected to arrive at a certain place.
ETD	Estimated Time of Departure	The time when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or person is expected to depart at a certain place.
EUR-1	EUR-1 Certificate	An EUR1 certificate is used to proof the origin of goods moving into the European Union (EU) territory
EUR-Pallet	EURO-Pallet	According to EPAL (European Pallet Association), Euro pallets are the standard pallets used for transport in Europe. The dimensions of a Euro pallet are 100 x 80 cms.
EX-A	EX-A Document	An export document which is required when a shipment, that has been originated in the EU (or has been Customs cleared in the EU), leaves the European territory.
Export	Export	Export is the process of transporting locally produced goods from one country to another for future sales.
FCL	Full Container Load	Ocean shipment in which the cargo occupies a full container
Feeder	Feeder	A short-sea network between ports with the objective of consolidating or redistributing freight to or from a deep sea service in one of these ports, the so-called hub port
FEU/FFU	Forty Equivalent Unit/ Forty Foot Unit	A measure of volume in units of 40-foot long containers
Forwarder	Forwarder	An agent who acts on behalf of shippers to arrange the transportation of goods.
FSC	Fuel Surcharge	Charge to cover the fluctuating cost of fuel.
FTL	Full Truck Load	The ground transportation service in which a complete truck is dedicated to a single load or, in other words, to a single customer
FYCO	Physical Inspection	Inspection by Customs in which the doors of the container are opened and. the contents of the container are physically inspected
GSP Certificate	General System of Preference Certificate	A preferential tariff system granted by bunch of developed countries to developing or least developed countries
GW	Gross Weight	Actual weight of the shipment
HAWB	House Air Way Bill	A transport document, which is used in air shipments, issued and signed by a freight forwarder, generally on a natural air waybill format, evidences the terms and conditions of the carriage of goods as specified by the freight forwarder.
HAZMAT	Hazardous Material	Substances in quantities or forms that may pose a reasonable risk to health, property, or the environment
HB/L	House Bill of Loading	A document created by a freight forwarder or non-vessel operating company (NVOCC). The document is an acknowledgment of the receipt of goods that are to be shipped. I
HS	Harmonized Statistic Code	The common standard worldwide for describing the type of commodity.
HT	Heat Treated	A group of industrial, thermal and metalworking processes used to alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material
IATA	International Air Transport Association	The trade association of the world’s international airline industry.
IBC	Intermediate Bulk Container	A transporting and storing container for liquids and solids
IM-A		Upon entry of goods from outside the EU, that are intended to remain in the EU, there has been import of those goods. This import is controlled by an import document (IM-A document).
Import	Import	Import is the process of receiving or bringing in goods from abroad for the purpose of trade.
Incoterm	International Commercial Terms	Is an abbreviation for “International Commercial Terms.” This term represents a very useful way of communication and it’s actually aimed at reducing confusion between buyers and sellers.
ISPS	International Ship and Port Facility Security Code	A set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities
Lashing / Securing	Lashing / Securing	Fixing of cargo on or in a container with wood, chains or other materials to stuff the cargo safe and seaworthy.
LC	Letter of Credit	A letter from a bank guaranteeing that a buyer’s payment to a seller will be received on time and for the correct amount
LCL	Less than Container Load	LCL (less than container load) is a mode of shipping via ocean. An LCL shipment will be consolidated with other LCL shipments into one container.
LDM	Loading Meter	A loading meter is the standard unit of measurement for transport by truck. In other words, a LDM is equal to one meter of loading space of the truck’s length.
Lo/Lo	Lift on/Lift off	Lift on/lift off vessel using a crane.
LOI	Letter of indemnity	A letter of indemnity is a document exempting one party from liability to any claim that may arise from the other party.
LTL	Less Than Truckload	The transportation of products or goods that does not require a full truckload due to the smaller nature of the parcel
MAWB	Master Air Way Bill	A transport document which is issued by the air cargo carrier or its agent
MBL	Master Bill of Lading	Document created for shipping companies by their carriers as a receipt of transfer
Missing IOD	Missing IOD	No information on delivery of the goods.
MSDS	Material Safety Data Sheet	A document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product
Non-Community Goods	Non-Community Goods	Non-Community goods are goods that are not in free circulation in the EU and must remain under customs control.
NOR	Non-Operating Reefer	Reefers that serve as dry boxes by disabling the refrigeration unit for a journey
Notify Party	Notify Party	Any party that is notified with shipment information by a carrier upon the arrival of cargo at its destination
NRFC	Not Ready For Carriage	Additional charges in case of the shipment needs extra handling (adjusting AWB, re-pack, unloading)
NVOCC	Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier	An ocean carrier that transports goods under its own House Bill of Lading, or equivalent documentation, without operating ocean transportation vessels
PDA	Barcode Scanner	Handheld scanner for reading the barcode on labels.
POD	Proof Of Delivery	A document that confirms receipt of an item
POL	Port Of Loading	Place where shipments are loaded and secured aboard a vessel.
Prefix	Prefix	A three-digits identificatior by every airline, approved by IATA and ICAO and standing in the beginning of each Airwaybill
RFC	Ready For Carriage	A shipment that is acceptable to carrier and ready to be transported by carrier.
Reefer	A refrigerated container	A refrigerated container for the transportation of temperature-sensitive cargo.
REST	Remote Explosive Scent Tracing	A survey methodology based on using dogs and rats to detect landmines and explosive remnants of war
Ro/Ro	Roll on/Roll off	A vessel that is specialized for transporting wheeled cargo such as cars, busses, trailers, tractors, railroad cars, etc, which are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels.
Shipper	Shipper of cargo	Sender of the goods.
SSS	Short Sea Shipping	The maritime transport of goods over relatively short distances, as opposed to the intercontinental cross-ocean deep sea shipping
SLA	Service Level Agreement	An agreement between a logistics service provider and the customer regarding delivery times.
SSC	Security Surcharge	Additional cost according to safety risks involved.
Stevedore	Stevedore	A person who is employed to load or unload cargo of a vessel.
Storage	Storage	The activity of storing products at warehouses and logistics centers.
Stripping	Stripping of container	Stripping is the unloading of various small consignments from a single container.
Stuffing	Stuffing of container	Is the process by which goods are loaded into a container to be shipped.
SWB	Sea Way Bill	Transportation document for ocean freight. Not to be confused with B/L. A Sea Way Bill, however is not needed for cargo delivery and is only issued as a cargo receipt.
T1	T1 Document	A transit document which allows for goods which originated outside the European Union to move freely within the European Union
T2	T2 Document	Document for the movement of free circulation goods within the community for which the duties and other charges had been paid at the place of entry itself.
TEU	Twenty-Foot Container Equivalent Unit	The TEU is equivalent to a 20 feet long (6 meters) and 8 feet wide (2.40 meters) container.
THC	Terminal Handling Charges	Terminal and handling costs.
TMS	Transportation Management System	Platform designed to streamline the transportation process, and may be part of an entrerprise resource planning (ERP) system.
Ton-Kilometer	Ton-Kilometer	A unit that is used in transport geography and the transport economy to indicate the evolution of freight traffic.
Transit Port	Transit Port	A port where the cargo handled is merely en route to its destination.
ULD	Unit Load Device	Container used to transport cargo specially adapted for airfreight.
VAL	Valuable Cargo	High value shipments need special care to ensure a safe and secure transport.
W/M	Weight/Measurement	Weight and Measurement of the shipment
Waiver	Cargo Tracking Note of Waiver	Waiver is a shipping document needed when transporting goods to or through Central and Western Africa countries.
WMS	Warehouse Management System	Software appliction developed to support and and optimize distribution center management and warehouse functionality.
X-Ray	Energetic High-Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation	Screening technique specially developed to screen large cargo volumes at the same time. With this screening method a highly advanced machine will be used, pallets size up to 180 cm wide and 180 cm high can be scanned.
YOC	Yard Occupancy Charge
DR	Direct Representation	European legislation allows for declarations for customs regulations to be made as a direct representative. This means that this declaration is effectuated in the name and at the expense of a different party.
KC	Known consignor	A shipper of freight or mail authorised to ship on its own account, and whose processes meet the common security standards and regulations for transporting the relevant freight or mail by air
CFS	Container Freight Station