| AA |
Always
Afloat (In some ports the ship aground when approaching, or at berth.) |
| AAR |
Abbreviation
for: - Against All Risks (insurance
clause).
- Association of American Railroads. |
| Abaft |
A point
beyond the midpoint of a ships length, towards the rear or stern. |
| Abandon |
A
proceeding wherein a shipper/consignee seeks authority to abandon all or parts of their
cargo. |
| Abatement |
A discount
allowed for damage or overcharge in the payment of a bill. |
| ABI |
U.S.
Customs' "Automated Broker Interface," by which brokers file importers' entries
electronically. |
| Aboard |
Referring
to cargo being put, or laden, onto a means of conveyance. |
| Absorption |
One carrier
assumes the charges of another without any increase in charges to the shipper. |
| Acceptance |
- A time
draft (or bill of exchange) that the drawee (payer) has accepted and is unconditionally
obligated to pay at maturity.
- Broadly speaking, any agreement to purchase goods under specified terms. |
| Accessorial
Charges |
Charges
that are applied to the base tariff rate or base contract rate, e.g., bunkers, container,
currency, destination/delivery. |
| Acquiescence |
When a bill
of lading is accepted or signed by a shipper or shipper's agent without protest, the
shipper is said to acquiesce to the terms, giving a silent form of consent. |
| Acquittance |
A written
receipt in full, in discharge from all claims. |
| ACS
(A.C.S.) |
U.S.
Customs' master computer system, "Automated Commercial Systems." |
| Act
of God |
An act
beyond human control, such as lightning, flood or earthquake. |
| Ad
Valorem |
A term from
Latin meaning, "according to value." |
| Administrative
Law Judge |
A
representative of a government commission or agency vested with power to administer oaths,
examine witnesses, take testimony, and conduct hearings of cases submitted to, or
initiated by, that agency. Also called Hearing Examiner. |
| Admiralty
(Adm.) |
Refers to
marine matters such as an Admiralty Court. |
| Advance
|
To move
cargo up line to a vessel leaving sooner than the one booked. (See "Roll.") |
| Advanced
Charge |
Transportation
charge advanced by one carrier to another to be collected by the later carrier from the
consignor or consignee. |
| Adventure |
Shipment of
goods on shipper's own account. A bill of adventure is a document signed by the master of
the ship that carries goods at owner' risk. |
| Advice
of Shipment |
A notice
sent to a local or foreign buyer advising that shipment has gone forward and containing
details of packing, routing, etc. A copy of the invoice is often enclosed and, if desired,
a copy of the bill of lading. |
| Advising
Bank |
A bank
operating in the seller's country, that handles letters of credit in behalf of a foreign
bank. |
| Affreightment,
Contract of |
An
agreement by an ocean carrier to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time and
for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer. |
| Aft |
Movement
toward the stern (back end) of a ship. |
| Agency
Tariff |
A tariff
published by an agent on behalf of several carriers. |
| Agent
(Agt.) |
A person
authorized to transact business for and in the name of another person or company. Types of
agent are: (1) brokers,
(2) commission merchants,
(3) resident buyers,
(4) sales agents,
(5) manufacturer's representatives. |
| Aggregate
Shipment |
Numerous
shipments from different shippers to one consignee that are consolidated and treated as a
single consignment. |
| Agreed
valuation |
The value
of a shipment agreed upon in order to secure a specific freight rate. |
| Agreed
Weight |
The weight
prescribed by agreement between carrier and shipper for goods shipped in certain packages
or in a certain number. |
| A.I.D. |
Agency for
International Development. |
| Air
Waybill |
The
forwarding agreement or carrying agreement between shipper and air carrier and is issued
only in nonnegotiable form. |
| All
In |
The total
price to move cargo from origin to destination, inclusive of all charges. |
| Alongside |
A phrase
referring to the side of a ship. Goods delivered "alongside" are to be placed on
the dock or barge within reach of the transport ship's tackle so that they can be loaded. |
| Alternative
Rates |
Privilege
to use the rate producing the lowest charge. |
| Ambient
Temperature |
The
temperature of a surrounding body. The ambient temperature of a container is the
atmospheric temperature to which it is exposed. |
| American
Bureau of Shipping |
U.S.
classification society which certifies seagoing vessels for compliance to standardized
rules regarding construction and maintenance. |
| AMS |
The U.S.
Customs' "Automated Manifest System." |
| Anti-Dumping
Duty |
A tariff
imposed to discourage sale of foreign goods, subsidized to sell at low prices detrimental
to local manufacturers. |
| Any
Quantity (A.Q.) |
Usually
refers to a rating that applies to an article regardless of size or quantity. |
| Apparent
Good Order |
When
freight appears to be free of damage so far as a general survey can determine. |
| Appraisement
|
Determination
of the dutiable value of imported merchandise by a Customs official who follows procedures
outlined in their country's tariff, such as the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. |
| Appraiser's
Stores |
The
warehouse or public stores to which samples of imported goods are taken to be inspected,
analyzed, weighed, etc. by examiners or appraisers. |
| Arbitrary |
A stated
amount over a fixed rate to one point to make a rate to another point. |
| Average |
See
insurance. |
| Arrival
Notice |
A
notification by carrier of ship's arrival to the consignee, the "Notify Party,"
and - when applicable - the "Also Notify Party." These parties in interest are
listed in blocks 3, 4 and 10, respectively, of the Bill of Lading. |
| ASC
X12 |
American
Standards Committee X12 responsible for developing EDI standards for the United States. |
| Assignment
|
A term
commonly used in connection with a bill of lading. It involves the transfer of rights,
title and interest in order to assign goods by endorsing the bill of lading. |
| Astern |
- Behind a
vessel
- Move in a reverse direction. |
| A.T.A. |
American
Trucking Association. |
| ATDNSHINC |
Any
time Day or Night Sundays & Holidays Included. |
| Athwartships |
A direction
across the width of a vessel. |
| Avoirdupois
Pound |
Same as
0.4535924277 kilograms. |
| AWWL |
Always
within Institute Warranties Limits (Insurance purpose). |
