Maritime Shipping Glossary
Key ocean shipping and clearance terms, in alphabetical order.
- Bill of Lading B/L بوليصة الشحن
- A document issued by the carrier acknowledging receipt of cargo and the terms of carriage; it also serves as a document of title for releasing the cargo at destination.
- Bonded Warehouse التخزين الجمركي
- A warehouse storing goods under customs control before duties are paid.
- Break Bulk البضائع السائبة العامة
- Cargo shipped as separate pieces outside containers, such as heavy machinery and structures.
- Certificate of Origin CoO شهادة المنشأ
- A document certifying the country where goods were made; it affects duties and trade agreements.
- Chartering تأجير السفن
- Hiring a whole vessel or part of it for a voyage or a period of time.
- Consolidation التجميع
- Combining several shippers’ cargo into one container to reduce cost.
- Cubic Meter CBM المتر المكعب
- The unit of cargo volume, used to price LCL shipments.
- Cut-off موعد إغلاق الحجز
- The last time to deliver the container or documents before sailing.
- Dangerous Goods DG المواد الخطرة
- Substances posing risks to safety or the environment, governed at sea by the IMDG Code.
- Demurrage الأرضيات
- Charges applied when a container stays inside the port beyond the free time.
- Detention الاحتجاز
- Charges applied when the carrier’s container is kept outside the port beyond the free time.
- Estimated Time of Arrival ETA الوقت المقدّر للوصول
- The expected arrival time at the port of discharge.
- Estimated Time of Departure ETD الوقت المقدّر للمغادرة
- The expected sailing time from the port of loading.
- FASAH منصة فسح
- Saudi Arabia’s unified national platform for cross-border trade procedures.
- Full Container Load FCL الحاوية الكاملة
- A shipment occupying an entire container dedicated to one shipper.
- Harmonized System Code HS Code رمز النظام المنسق
- An international numeric code classifying goods, determining duties and requirements.
- High Cube HC الحاوية العالية
- A container about one foot taller than standard, suited to light, bulky cargo.
- Incoterms شروط التسليم الدولية
- ICC rules defining seller and buyer responsibilities for costs and risks, such as FOB, CIF, EXW and DDP.
- International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code IMDG المدونة الدولية للبضائع الخطرة البحرية
- The international standard for classifying, packing, labeling and shipping dangerous goods by sea.
- ISO Tank خزان ISO
- A tank in a standard container frame for transporting bulk liquids and gases.
- Less than Container Load LCL الشحن المجمّع
- A smaller shipment consolidated with others in one container, charged by volume or weight.
- Reefer الحاوية المبردة
- A container fitted with a refrigeration unit to keep a set temperature.
- Roll-on/Roll-off RoRo الدحرجة
- Shipping vehicles by driving them on and off the vessel.
- SABER منصة سابر
- The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization platform for issuing product conformity certificates.
- Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit TEU الحاوية المكافئة
- A unit of cargo capacity equal to one 20-foot container; a 40' container equals 2 TEU.