Table of Contents
Documents
Commercial Invoice (CI)
“we”, “us” and “our” refer to EXIM Asian International Trading Group offers This document (CI) is a customs document. we use it as a customs declaration that we are exporting an item across international borders. There is no standard format for CI. However, it should contain a few specific pieces of information. For example, the sender and the receiver, description of the goods and also the trade term and payment terms.
Warehouse Receipt (WR)
Document (signed or certified by the warehouse keeper) guaranteeing existence and availability of a specified quantity and quality of a commodity, and used as an instrument of transfer (It is a non-negotiable instrument if it permits delivery only to a named entity) and futures transactions.
Terminal Handling Charges (THC)
Terminal Handling Charges (THC) or Container Service Charges (CSC) are additional costs, on top of the sea freight, charged by the shipping company for the handling of containers at the container terminal before being loaded onboard a vessel.
Examples include the unloading of the container from a truck, stacking and transport from the stacking location to just below the crane. This concerns FCL (Full Container Load) shipments.
Manifest
The manifest is a list of all goods, listed per Bill of Lading, which was loaded onto the ship in one certain port and which has a single certain destination. Thus the number of manifest onboard equals the number of different travel routes.
A distinction is made between a cargo manifest, a freight manifest and a manifest of hazardous goods. The cargo manifest solely lists the details of the goods (nature, quantity, types and numbers, sender, destination, etc.) and service for customs declaration of the goods. In addition to that, the freight manifest lists details of the seaborne freight and serves to collect the sea freights payable at destination and as basis for certain commission calculations. The hazardous goods manifest solely lists hazardous goods onboard the vessel. This manifest must be submitted to the port authorities prior to the vessel entering the port.
Certificate of Origin (CoO)
A certificate of origin is an official document that states in which country or group of countries a certain product was manufactured. Many countries demand that a certificate of origin is included when importing goods. The Chambers of Commerce have the task to process requests for certificates of origin and to issue these certificates.
Full Container Load (FCL)
Full Container Load means that all goods in the container are listed on one Bill of Lading, and as such are owned by one party. It does not matter how full the container is. Payment is made on the basis of one container.
Less than Container Load (LCL)
Transporting a shipment with other goods in the container is referred to as LCL. Thus multiple LCL shipments with different Bills of Lading and different owners can be loaded in a single container. Any space used in the container is subject to a charge.
Payload
Payload is the maximum load weight of a container. This weight is stated on the right container door. The load weight must not exceed this value. However, the maximum load weight can differ per country, so that sometimes the container cannot be loaded up to this maximum.
Customs Clearance
Goods that are transported from one fiscal zone to another, must be customs cleared before they can be brought in to free circulation. The commercial invoice, packing list and any other documents pertaining to the cargo (i.e. Certificate of Origin, Veterinary certificates, etc) are presented to customs, whom then determine the duties and taxes to be levied.
Bill of Lading (B/L)
The conditions for the transport of goods by sea are laid down in the transport agreement, called a Bill of Lading (B/L). It is the carrier that issues the Bill of Lading. The type of chartering agreement or charter party determines the carrier: in the case of voyage chartering it is the shipowner, in the case of time chartering and bare hull chartering it is the charterer.
The Bill of Lading has three important functions: proof of receipt, proof of transport agreement and title of ownership.
Advance Payment
Advance payment is a type of payment made ahead of its normal schedule such as paying for a good or service before you actually receive it.
Advance payments are sometimes required by sellers as protection against nonpayment, or to cover the seller’s out-of-pocket costs for supplying the service or product.
There are many cases where advance payments are required. Consumers with bad credit may be required to pay companies in advance, and insurance companies generally require an advance payment in order to extend coverage to the insured party.
Ship Category
Cargo ships or vessels come in different types and sizes to meet the various demands of marine cargo transportation. Cargo ships are categorized partly by capacity and partly by dimensions (often related to the different canals and canal locks they are traveling through) such as Seawaymax, Handy, Handymax, Supramax, Panamax, Suezmax, Malaccamax, Kamsarmax, Dunkirkmax, Setouchmax, Newcastlemax, Chinamax, Q-Max.
Ship Category per (size/regions)
Seawaymax
The term Seawaymax refers to the maximum size of vessels capable of passing through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway (in Canada and the United States), linking the inland Great Lakes of North America with the Atlantic Ocean.
Seawaymax ship is designed to be 28,000 DWT and 225.6 m long, 23.8 m wide, and 35.5 m in height, with a draught of 7.92 m.
Handy Sizes
Handy, Handymax and Supramax are naval architecture terms for the larger bulk carriers in the Handysize class. Handysize class consists of Supramax (50,000 to 60,000 DWT), Handymax (40,000 to 50,000 DWT), and Handy (<40,000 DWT). The ships are used for less voluminous cargoes, and different cargoes can be carried in different holds
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax (or Neopanamax) are terms for the size limits for ships travelling through the Panama Canal (in Panama). The limits and requirements.
Panamax, a 294.13 m length, a 32.2 m width, and a 12.04 m draft. Limited to 52,000 DWT loaded, 80,000 DWT empty.
Neopanamax, upgraded Panama locks with 366 m length, 55 m beam, 18 m draft, 120,000 DWT.
Suezmax
Suezmax, typically ships of about 160,000 DWT, maximum dimensions are a beam of 77.5 m, a draft of 20.1 m as well as a height limit of 68 m can traverse the Suez Canal (in Egypt).
Malaccamax
Malaccamax is a naval architecture term for the largest tonnage of ship capable of fitting through the 25 m deep Strait of Malacca (near Indonesia). Bulk carriers and supertankers have been built to this tonnage, and the term is chosen for VLCC. They can transport oil from Middle East to China. A typical Malaccamax tanker can have a maximum length of 333 m, beam of 60 m, draught of 20.5 m, and tonnage of 300,000 DWT.
Newcastlemax
Maximum beam 50 meters, and maximum length overall of 300 meters refers to the largest vessel able to enter the port of Newcastle, Australia at about 185,000 DWT.
Dunkirkmax
Maximum allowable beam 45 m and LOA 289 m. max (175,000 DWT approx) for the eastern harbor lock in the Port of Dunkirk, France.
Setouchmax
Setouchmax About 203,000 DWT, being the largest vessels able to navigate the Setouchi Sea, Japan.
Kamsarmax
Maximum length overall 229 meters refers to a new type of ships, that are suitable for berthing at the Port of Kamsar (Republic of Guinea), where the major loading terminal of bauxite is restricted to vessels not more than 229 meters.
Chinamax
Chinamax, carriers of 380,000–400,000 DWT up to 24 m draft, 65 m beam and 360 m length; these dimensions are limited by port infrastructure in China
Q-Max
Q-Max is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type liquefied natural gas carrier. In the name Q-Max, “Q” stands for Qatar and “Max” for the maximum size of ship able to dock at the LNG terminals in Qatar. Ships of this type are the largest LNG carriers in the world.
Aframax
AFRA (Average Freight Rate Assessment) As the name suggests, Aframax are medium-sized oil tankers with a dead weight tonnage (DWT) between 80,000 and 120,000. They are just ideal for short to medium-haul oil trades, and are primarily used in regions of lower crude production, or the areas that lack large ports to accommodate giant oil carriers.
Capesize
They are very large and ultra large cargo vessels with a capacity over 150,000 DWT. They are categorised under VLCC, ULCC, VLOC and ULOC and can be as large as 400,000 DWT or even more. They serve regions with largest deepwater terminals in the world and are primarily used for transporting coal and iron ore. Because of their giant size, they are suitable to serve only a small number of ports with deepwater terminals and must traverse the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn to travel between oceans
Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC)
Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) are super tankers with a DWT between 250,000 and 300,000, for the transport of crude oil.
Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC)
Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC) are super tankers with a DWT of more than 300,000, for the transport of crude oil.
Ship Category per (usage)
Container Ships
Container ships are distinguished into 7 major size categories: small feeder, feeder, feedermax (In some areas of the world, they might be outfitted with cargo cranes), panamax, post-panamax, new panamax and ultra-large. Container ships under 3,000 TEU are generally called feeders, and operate as above.
LNG Carriers
An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). As the LNG market grows rapidly, the fleet of LNG carriers continues to experience tremendous growth
Pure Car Carriers (PCC)
Pure Car Carriers (PCC) are vessels designed especially for the transport of extremely high quantities of passenger cars. The largest PCCs can carry approximately 6,000 cars, distributed across 13 decks.
Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC)
Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) are vessels designed especially for the transport of extremely high quantities of passenger cars and trucks. The distance between the decks can be adjusted, depending on whether cars or trucks are transported.
Ore Bulk Oil Carriers (OBO)
Ore Bulk Oil Carriers (OBO) are vessels that can load various types of bulk goods, such as grains, ores or oil products.
However, this can never be done simultaneously. When after having been unloaded, a different type of bulk good is loaded the holds must be thoroughly cleaned first. Hence most of such vessels continue to carry the same type of cargo for long periods of time. A different trade will be opted for, depending on the demands of the market situation.
