Ocean freight glossary

Plain-English definitions of the 106 container-shipping and tracking terms you actually run into, answer-first, so your team (or an AI assistant) gets it in one line. Grouped by theme, A to Z inside each group.

Jump to: Charges & free time · Bills of lading & documents · Identifiers & codes · Parties & roles · Booking, loads & cut-offs · Vessels, voyages & schedules · Ports & terminals · Inland moves & equipment · Customs & compliance · Incoterms, rates & risk · Tracking data & standards

Charges & free time

Bunker adjustment factor (BAF) · What is the bunker adjustment factor (BAF)?
Currency adjustment factor (CAF) · What is the currency adjustment factor (CAF)?
Demurrage · What is demurrage?
Demurrage & detention · What is demurrage and detention?
Demurrage vs detention vs storage · What is the difference between demurrage, detention, and storage?
Detention · What is detention in shipping?
Free time · What is free time in shipping?
General rate increase (GRI) · What is a general rate increase (GRI)?
Last free day (LFD) · What is the last free day (LFD)?
Peak season surcharge (PSS) · What is a peak season surcharge (PSS)?
Per diem · What is per diem in container shipping?
Terminal handling charge (THC) · What is a terminal handling charge (THC)?
War risk surcharge (WRS) · What is a war risk surcharge?

Bills of lading & documents

Arrival notice · What is an arrival notice?
Bill of lading (B/L) · What is a bill of lading?
Delivery order (D/O) · What is a delivery order in shipping?
House vs master bill of lading · What is the difference between a house and a master bill of lading?
Letter of credit (L/C) · What is a letter of credit in shipping?
Sea waybill · What is a sea waybill?
Switch bill of lading · What is a switch bill of lading?
Telex release · What is a telex release?

Identifiers & codes

Booking number · What is a booking number?
Container check digit · What is a container check digit?
Container number (ISO 6346) · What is a container number?
Container prefix (owner code) · What is a container prefix?
IMO number · What is an IMO number?
MMSI · What is an MMSI number?
SCAC code · What is a SCAC code?
TEU & FEU · What is a TEU in shipping?
UN/LOCODE · What is a UN/LOCODE?

Parties & roles

Beneficial cargo owner (BCO) · What is a beneficial cargo owner (BCO)?
Consignee · What is a consignee?
Customs broker · What is a customs broker?
Forwarder vs NVOCC vs carrier · What is the difference between a freight forwarder, an NVOCC, and a carrier?
Freight forwarder · What is a freight forwarder?
Notify party · What is a notify party?
NVOCC · What is an NVOCC?
Shipper · What is a shipper in ocean freight?

Booking, loads & cut-offs

Cut-off (SI, VGM, cargo, customs) · What is a cut-off in shipping?
FCL (full container load) · What is FCL shipping?
LCL (less than container load) · What is LCL shipping?
LCL vs FCL · What is the difference between LCL and FCL?
Rollover (rolled cargo) · What is a rollover in shipping?
Shipping instruction (SI) · What is a shipping instruction (SI)?
Verified gross mass (VGM) · What is verified gross mass (VGM)?

Vessels, voyages & schedules

AIS (Automatic Identification System) · What is AIS in shipping?
Blank sailing · What is a blank sailing?
Carrier alliances · What are carrier alliances in container shipping?
Draft (draught) · What is a vessel’s draft?
ETA, ETD, ATA & ATD · What do ETA, ETD, ATA, and ATD mean in shipping?
Feeder vessel · What is a feeder vessel?
Port omission · What is a port omission?
Slow steaming · What is slow steaming?
Transshipment · What is transshipment?
Vessel schedule reliability · What is vessel schedule reliability?
Vessel sharing agreement (VSA) · What is a vessel sharing agreement (VSA)?
Voyage number · What is a voyage number?

Ports & terminals

Anchorage (anchorage wait) · What is an anchorage in shipping?
Container freight station (CFS) · What is a container freight station (CFS)?
Container yard (CY) · What is a container yard (CY)?
Dwell time · What is dwell time in shipping?
Earliest return date (ERD) · What is the earliest return date (ERD)?
Empty return · What is empty return in container shipping?
Gate-in & gate-out · What do gate-in and gate-out mean?
Port congestion · What is port congestion?
Port of loading & discharge (POL/POD) · What are the port of loading (POL) and port of discharge (POD)?
Terminal appointment · What is a terminal appointment?
Terminal operating system (TOS) · What is a terminal operating system (TOS)?

Inland moves & equipment

Carrier haulage vs merchant haulage · What is the difference between carrier haulage and merchant haulage?
Chassis · What is a chassis in container shipping?
Drayage · What is drayage?
Flat rack container · What is a flat rack container?
High-cube container · What is a high-cube container?
Inland container depot (ICD) · What is an inland container depot (ICD)?
Multimodal vs intermodal · What is the difference between multimodal and intermodal transport?
Out of gauge (OOG) · What is out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo?
Pre-carriage & on-carriage · What are pre-carriage and on-carriage?
Rail ramp · What is a rail ramp?
Reefer (refrigerated container) · What is a reefer container?
Seal number · What is a seal number in shipping?
SOC vs COC containers · What is the difference between SOC and COC containers?
Street turn · What is a street turn?
Tare weight · What is tare weight?

Customs & compliance

AMS (Automated Manifest System) · What is AMS in shipping?
Bonded warehouse · What is a bonded warehouse?
Customs clearance · What is customs clearance?
Customs examination · What is a customs examination?
Customs hold · What is a customs hold?
Dangerous goods (IMO classes) · What are dangerous goods in shipping?
ENS (Entry Summary Declaration) · What is an ENS (Entry Summary Declaration)?
HS code · What is an HS code?
Importer Security Filing (ISF) · What is an Importer Security Filing (ISF)?

Incoterms, rates & risk

CFR (Cost and Freight) · What does CFR (Cost and Freight) mean?
CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) · What does CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) mean?
DAP (Delivered at Place) · What does DAP (Delivered at Place) mean?
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) · What does DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) mean?
EXW (Ex Works) · What does EXW (Ex Works) mean?
FCA (Free Carrier) · What does FCA (Free Carrier) mean?
FOB (Free On Board) · What does FOB (Free On Board) mean?
Force majeure · What is force majeure in shipping?
General average · What is general average?
Incoterms · What are Incoterms?
Letter of indemnity (LOI) · What is a letter of indemnity in shipping?
Spot rate vs contract rate · What is the difference between spot and contract rates in ocean freight?

Tracking data & standards

DCSA Track & Trace · What is DCSA Track & Trace?
EDI 315 status message · What is an EDI 315 message?

Put the vocabulary to work

Track a container by carrier →
Port dwell and congestion pages →
Look up demurrage and detention free time →
Validate a container number →