Shipping Terms Glossary

Berth: (verb) To bring a ship alongside a berth; (noun) the space at the wharf where a ship docks. A wharf may accommodate two or three berths, depending on the length of the arriving ships.

Bulk Cargo: Loose cargo, either dry or liquid, loaded in bulk directly into a ship’s hold using methods such as shoveling, scooping, forklifts, mechanical conveyors, or pumping. Examples include grain, coal, and oil.

Cargo: The freight (goods, products) carried by ship, barge, train, truck, or plane.

Clean Report of Finding (CRF): A report issued by an inspection firm specifying that the price has been verified the goods have been inspected before shipment, and that both of these comply with the buyer’s specifications.

Container: A container made of aluminum, steel, or fiberglass used to transport cargo via ship, rail, truck, or barge. Standard dimensions are 20′ x 8′ x 8′ (known as a TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit) or 40′ x 8′ x 8′, referred to as an FEU. Variations include collapsible containers, tank containers (for liquids), and “rag tops” (open-topped containers covered by a tarpaulin for cargo that extends above the top of a closed container). In the container industry, these containers are often simply called boxes.

Dredge: (noun) A waterborne machine used to remove unwanted silt buildup from the bottom of a waterway. (verb) The act of removing sediment from harbor or river bottoms for safety reasons and to accommodate deeper vessels.

Feeder Vessel: A short–sea vessel that transfers cargo between a central “hub” port and smaller “spoke” ports.

General Cargo: Consists of both containerized and breakbulk goods, in contrast to bulk cargo. See breakbulk, container, bulk, dry bulk). General cargo operations produce more jobs than bulk handling.

Harbor: Port of haven where ships may anchor.

International Ship and Port Security Code (ISPS): An amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports, and government agencies. Enforced in 2004, it prescribes responsibilities to governments, shipping companies, shipboard personnel, and port facility personnel to detect security threats and take preventative measures against security incidents affecting ships or port facilities used in international trade.

National Port Authority of Liberia (NPA): The Seaport Authority in the Republic of Liberia was established by an Act of the National Legislature in 1967 and amended in 1970 as a state-owned corporation to manage, plan, and build all public ports in Liberia. The Freeport of Monrovia, Port of Buchanan, Port of Greenville, and Port of Harper make up the entity’s port network.

Net Register Tonnage (NRT): The volume of cargo the vessel can carry, i.e., the gross register tonnage less the volume of spaces that will not hold cargo. It represents the volume of the ship available for transporting freight or passengers.

Outports: A port, or ports, other than the main port of a country, i.e., the Port of Buchanan, Port of Greenville, and Port of Harper.

Port: This term refers both to the harbor area where ships are docked and to the agency (port authority) responsible for managing the use of public wharves and port properties.

Quay: A wharf that parallels the waterline.

Reefer: A refrigerated container.

Security Level 1: normal, the level at which the ship or port facility normally operates. Security level 1 is the level for which minimum appropriate protective security measures shall be always maintained.

Security Level 2: heightened, the level applying for as long as there is a heightened risk of a security incident. Security level 2 means the level for which appropriate additional protective security measures shall be maintained for a period because of the heightened risk of a security incident.

Security Level 3: exceptional, the level applying for the period of time when there is a probable or imminent risk of a security incident. Security level 3 means the level for which further specific protective security measures shall be maintained for a limited period of time when a security incident is probable or imminent, although it may not be possible to identify the specific target.

Summer Dead Weight (SDWT): The deadweight of a ship when loaded to the summer load line mark and center of the Plimsoll disc on the ship’s side.

Tare Weight: In railcar or container shipments, the weight of the empty railcar or empty container.

Tariff: A publication setting forth the charges, rates, and rules of transportation companies.

Tonnage: 100 cubic feet.

Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): A unit of measurement equal to the space occupied by a standard twenty-foot container. Used in stating the capacity of a container vessel or a storage area. One 40 ft. The container is equal to two TEUs.

Vessel: A ship or large boat.

Warehouse: A place for the reception, delivery, consolidation, distribution, and storage of goods/cargo.

Wharf: The location where ships dock to load and unload cargo. The wharf usually includes front and rear loading areas (aprons), a transit shed, open storage areas, truck bays, and rail tracks.