B.D.I.
Both Days Inclusive.
B/L
→ Bill of Lading
Back Letter
1. Back letters are drawn up in addition to a contract in order to lay down rights and/or obligations between both contracting parties, which, for various possible reasons, cannot be included in the original contract.
2. This expression is sometimes used for letters of indemnity.
Back Order
Customer order or commitment, which is unfilled due to insufficient stock.
Backlog
1. The quantity of goods still to be delivered, received, produced, issued, etc., for which the planned or agreed date has expired. 2. The total number of customer orders which have been received but not yet been shipped.
Synonym: → Open Order
BAF
→ Bunker Adjustment Factor
Balance of Trade
Difference between a country’s total imports and exports. If exports exceed imports, a favorable balance of trade exists; if not, a trade deficit is said to exist.
Balespace
The capacity of cargo spaces under the deck of a vessel (including hatchways but excluding void spaces behind cargo battens and beams) expressed in cubic meters or cubic feet.
Ballast
Materials carried to improve the trim and the stability of the vessel. Vessels usually carry water in tanks as ballast. The tanks are specially designed for this purpose.
Bank Draft
Check issued by a bank.
Bank Guarantee
Undertaking by a bank to effect payment of a sum of money in the event of non performance by the party on whose behalf the guarantee is issued.
Bank Release
Negotiable time draft drawn on and accepted by a bank that adds its credit to that of an importer of merchandise.
Banker’s Acceptance
“Time draft” drawn on a bank and bearing the bank’s promise to pay at a future date.
Banking System
For marine purposes the practice of always keeping more than one piece of cargo on the quay or in the vessel ready for loading or discharging in order to avoid delays and to obtain optimal use of the loading gear.
Bar Coding
Method of encoding data for fast and accurate electronic readability. Bar codes are a series of alternating bars and spaces printed or stamped on products, labels, or other media, representing encoded information which can be read by electronic readers, used to facilitate timely and accurate input of data to a computer system.
Bareboat Charter
Charter whereby the charterer leases the bare ship and appoints the master and crew itself.
Barge
Flat-bottomed cargo transport vessel designed for canals, rivers and shallow waters with or without its own propulsion.
Synonym: → Lighter
Barratry
Unlawful act or fraudulent breach of duty on the part of a master of a ship or of the mariners resulting in the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo.
Barter
Trade in which merchandise is exchanged directly for other merchandise without use of money.
→ Countertrade
Basic Stock
Items of an inventory intended for issue against demand during the re-supply lead time.
→ Lead Time
Batch
Collection of products or data which is treated as one entity with respect to certain operations (e.g. processing and production).
Batch Production
Production process where products/components are produced in batches and where each separate batch consists of a number of the same products/components.
Bay
Vertical division of a container vessel from stem to stern, used to indicate stowage places for containers. The numbers run from stem to stern; odd numbers indicate a 20-foot position, even numbers indicate a 40-foot position.
→ Cell Position → Grid Number
Bay Plan
Stowage plan which shows the locations of all the containers on the vessel.
BC Code
→ Bulk Cargo Code → Segregation
Belly
Under-floor area of an aircraft.
→ Hold Space
Benchmarking
Measurement and comparison against a standard, of efforts and results in the business process (e.g. input, output, reliability, quality and customer satisfaction).
Beneficiary
Entity or person on whom a Letter of Credit has been opened or a draft has been drawn.
→ Assignment of Proceeds → Transferable Letter of Credit
Benefit of Insurance Clause
Clause by which the bailee of goods claims the benefit of any insurance policy effected by the cargo owner on the goods in care of the bailee. Such a clause in a contract of carriage issued in accordance with the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act is void at law.
Berth
Location in a port where a vessel can be moored, often indicated by a code or name.
→ Wharf → Quay → Pier
Bilateral Trade
Commerce between two countries, usually in accordance with specific agreements.
Bilateral Transport Agreement
Agreement between two nations concerning transport relations.
Bill of Exchange
→ Draft
Bill of Lading
Abbreviation: B/L. Document that establishes the terms of a contract between a shipper and a transportation company under which freight is to be moved between specified points for a specified charge. Usually prepared by the shipper on forms issued by the carrier, it serves as a document of title, a contract of carriage, and a receipt for goods.
→ Air Waybill → Ocean Bill of Lading → Through Bill of Lading
Bill of Lading Clause
Particular article, stipulation or single provision in a Bill of Lading.
Bill of Material
List of all parts, sub-assemblies and raw materials that constitute a particular assembly, showing the quantity of each required item.
Bimodal Trailer
1. Road semi-trailer with retractable running gear to allow mounting on a pair of rail boogies.
Synonym: Road-Rail Trailer 2. Trailer which is able to carry different types of standardized unit loads (e.g. a chassis which is appropriate for the carriage of one FEU or two TEUs).
Block Train
Complete train moving straight from origin station to destination station without marshalling or decoupling of wagons.
→ Double Stack Train
Boatman
Member of the vessel’s crew.
Bollard
Post, fixed on a quay to lash mooring ropes.
Bolster
→ Container Bolster
Bona Fide
In good faith; without dishonesty, fraud or deceit.
Bonded Shipments
Shipments which are permitted to travel to inland destinations before customs clearance.
Bonded Transit Warehouse
Warehouse under customs control holding cargo in transit to further destination.
Bonded Warehouse
Warehouse authorized by customs authorities for storage of uncleared goods.
→ In Bond
Booking
Space reservation, conclusion of contract of carriage.
Synonym for Air Cargo: Reservation
→ Allotment
Booking Reference Number
Number assigned to a certain booking by the carrier or its agent.
Bordereau
→ Waybill
Bottom Fittings
Special conical-shaped devices to avoid the container moving during the voyage.
Bottom Lift
Handling of containers with equipment attached to the four bottom corner fittings (castings).
Bottom Limit
Maximum value at risk per shipment/sending/aircraft.
Box Pallet
Pallet with at least three fixed, removable or collapsible, vertical sides.
Break Bulk
1. Physical discharge of unitized cargo. 2. Administration procedure of document splitting at destination.
Break Bulk Cargo
General cargo conventionally stowed as opposed to unitized, containerized and Roll-on/Roll-off cargo.
Synonym: → Conventional Cargo
Break-Even Weight
Weight at which it is cheaper to charge the lower rate for the next higher weight-break multiplied by the minimum weight indicated, than to charge the higher rate for the actual weight of the shipment (air cargo).
Broken Stowage
Cargo space that is unavoidably lost when stowing cargo. The percentage of wasted space depends upon the kind of cargo, the packing and the used spaces.
Broker
Person who acts as an agent or intermediary in negotiating contracts.
Brussels Tariff Nomenclature
Abbreviation: BTN. Old Customs Cooperation Council Nomenclature for the classification of goods. Now replaced by the Harmonized System.
→ Harmonized System (HS)
BSI
British Standards Institution.
BTN
→ Brussels Tariff Nomenclature
Buffer Stock
Quantity of goods or articles kept in store to safeguard against unforeseen shortages or demands.
Bulk Cargo
Unpacked cargo loaded directly into the vessel’s holds. Examples of commodities that can be shipped in bulk are ores, coal, scrap iron, grain, rice, vegetable oil, tallow, fuel oil, fertilizers and similar commodities.
Bulk Cargo Code
Abbreviation: BC Code. Safe working practice code for solid bulk cargo.
Bulk Carrier
Single-deck vessel designed to carry homogeneous unpacked dry cargo such as grain, iron ore and coal.
Bulk Container
Container designed for the carriage of free-flowing dry cargo, which are loaded through hatchways in the roof of the container and discharged through hatchways at one end of the container.
Bulk Shipments
→ Bulk Cargo
Bulk Unitization Charge
Charge which applies to consignments carried from airport of departure to airport of arrival, entirely in Unit Load Devices (air cargo).
Bulkhead
1. Upright partition dividing compartments on board a vessel. 2. A vertically mounted board to provide front wall protection against shifting cargo and commonly seen on platform trailers (road cargo). 3. Partition in a container, providing a plenum chamber and/or air passage for either return or supply air. 4. Vertically mounted wall separating the fore respectively aft compartment from the rest of the aircraft (air cargo).
Bull Rings
Rings for lashing the cargo in containers.
Bunker
Spaces on board a vessel to store fuel.
Synonym: Tank
Bunker Adjustment Factor
Abbreviation: BAF. Adjustment applied by shipping lines or liner conferences to offset the effect of fluctuations in the cost of bunkers.
Bureau veritas
French classification society. |
