Lexicon

A

• ADR : European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.
• AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) : Operator certified by the customs authorities. This certification is a guarantee of the reliability of the service provider, allowing direct access to simplified customs procedures, advance declarations, etc.
• Authorized agent : A company that has received government approval to secure a shipment by air.

B

• BAF (Bunker Adjustment Factor) : Surcharge applied by the shipowner according to variations in the price of fuel oil.
• Bill of Lading (B/L) : The Bill of Lading (B/L) is the contract for the carriage of goods by sea. Issued by the carrier to the shipper, it details the mode and route of a cargo from its origin to its final destination.
• Bonded warehouse : Storage space for goods awaiting customs clearance.
• Booking : Action of reserving space on a ship or aircraft.
• Break bulk : Cargo that cannot be containerized due to its size or volume.
• Broker : Intermediary responsible to represent ship to official authorities.
• Bulk : Bulk goods are goods that are not packaged. When transported by sea, bulk goods are carried in the hold of ships or in special facilities.
• Bulk Liquid : hydrocarbons (petroleum products and derivatives), LNG (liquefied natural gas), chemical products, liquid foodstuffs (wines, oils, etc.).
• Bulk Solid : cereals, sugar, flour, coal, ores, sand, cement…

C

• CAF (Currency Adjustment Factor) : Surcharge applied by the shipowner according to variations in exchange rates.
• CDU or UCC : Union Customs Code, determines the rules and procedures applicable to goods entering or leaving the customs territory of the European Union.
• Charterer : A natural or legal person who rents a ship or aircraft for a specific operation or period of time.
• CMR : International land transport documents.
• Custom Broker : A professional who, on behalf of the sender or recipient of goods, ensures the customs operations for importation and exportation.
• Customized grouping / Consolidation : Several suppliers come together to fill the container with goods intended for a single recipient.
• CIP : Carriage and Insurance Paid to
• CPT : Carriage Paid to
• Cross-Trade : Transport of goods involving three parties for a single flow: the seller, the buyer and an intermediary (who may be the seller's supplier).

D

• DGAC : French Civil Aviation Authority.
• DAP : Delivered at Place
• DAT : Delivered At Terminal
• Documentary of credit : Commitment to pay made by a bank on behalf of the beneficiary, usually the seller of the goods, in return for delivery of the documents specified in the credit.
• DDP : Delivered Duty Paid
• DPU : Delivered at Place Unloaded
• DNA : European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways.

E

• EORI : Economic Operator Registration and Identification. The EORI number is a unique Community identification number helping operators to import and/or export goods.
• EXW: Ex Works (ex works).

F

• FCL: Full Container Load
• FAA : Federal Aviation Administration
• FCA: Free Carrier
• FAK (Freight All Kinds): General Cargo
• FAS: Free Along Side
• FOB: Free on Board
• Freight forwarder: An intermediary who, in his own name but on behalf of a shipper, organizes the transport of goods (dispatch, receipt and storage). The freight forwarder is free to choose the carriers or other intermediaries he will use to carry out his mission, and deals with them in his own name. The freight forwarder is bound by an obligation of result.
• Freight rates: Price of sea or air transport.

G

• GRI: General Rate Increase Surcharge applied to ocean freight rates
• Container grouping: A shipment for which the freight forwarder or NVOCC groups together several individual shipments to form a container. The goods are unbundled on arrival and delivered to the consignee.

H

• Handling agent: Receives goods and delivers them to the aircraft.
• HAWB (House Air Waybill): Transport document by air issued for each shipment by the freight forwarder.
• HAZMAT: Hazardous Materials
• HS Code: Customs classification of goods

I

• IMCO: Name used in the maritime transport of dangerous goods.
• ISPS: International Ship and Ports facility Security code. Port security overload.
• ISO: International Organization for Standardization

L

• Lashing: All the techniques used to stabilize cargo/containers on board ships to prevent them shifting during maritime transport.
• LCL (Less than Container Load): Goods to be grouped with other consignments in a container.
• Live animals: The transport of live animals.
• Load break: Corresponds to the handling of goods caused by successive unloading and loading.
• LTA (Air Way Bill): International Civil Aviation Organization. Air Waybill formalizing the contract of carriage between the airline (or authorized agent) and the freight forwarder.

M

• MAFI: The MAFI is a trailer used for loading oversize packages (heavy and/or bulky) on ro-ro ships. There are several MAFI sizes.
• MAWB (Master Air Way Bill): Parent LTA. All the HAWBs are grouped together on a MAWB, which includes all the packages, gross weight and volume.

N

• NVOCC or Grouper: Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier. Term used to designate a company that buys shipping capacity which it then offers to its customers under its own responsibility.

P

• Preferred origin: Used to apply a reduced or zero rate of customs duty. Bilateral free trade agreements between the EU and a number of third countries allow tariff advantages (reduction or exemption from customs duties) to be granted to goods traded between the contracting parties. In order to benefit from the advantages conferred by preferential origin, exported goods must comply with the conditions set out in the free trade agreement established with the country concerned.
• POL : port of loading
• POD : port of discharge
• PSS (Peak Season Surcharge): Surcharge applied by the shipping company during periods of high demand.

R

• Reefer Container: A reefer container is a temperature-controlled refrigerated container fitted with a refrigeration and heating system for transport at positive or negative temperatures.
• Rider: This is a piece of port handling equipment used to move containers around terminals and stack them on top of each other (stackable).
• RO-RO (Roll-on, Roll-off): Ramp loading and unloading technique on ships dedicated to the transport of cargo (roll-on/roll-off loading).

S

• Shipowner: Person who operates a ship.
• SOLAS (The SOLAS convention): defines the standards relating to the control of the weight of goods in containers
• Stacking: The act of stacking goods on top of each other.
• Stuffing / Unstuffing: Loading and unloading of goods inside a container.
• Sycoscan: X-ray scanning of containers. The Sycoscan makes it possible to view the contents of containers by X-ray without them having to be unloaded or opened.

T

• Taxable weight: Unit of measurement used by airlines to determine the price of freight. It is used to invoice transport based on the weight and volume of the goods.
• Telex Release Bill of Lading: Telex Release allows cargo to be released in one port even if the shipper has handed over the original bill of lading in the port of discharge
• TEU: Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU).

V

• VGM (Verified Gross Mass): Gross mass of containers before they are loaded onto ships.

W

• White gloves: A service for handling fragile or high-value goods (works of art, luxury goods, high-value-added technological equipment, etc.) with particular attention to the smallest detail, including unpacking the goods, installing and managing the packaging. It also offers handling that complies with security and confidentiality measures.
• WM (Weight Measurement): When calculating the price of a freight, the unit of taxation is either the ton or the cubic meter to the advantage of the ship.