Freight forwarding glossary

The transport document a carrier issues to the shipper that does three jobs at once: a receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title that controls who can take delivery.

Cargo classified as hazardous under the IMDG Code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code), which assigns each substance a UN number, hazard class, and packing and documentation requirements.

The Digital Container Shipping Association, a non-profit founded in 2019 by the major ocean carriers to publish common technical standards for the industry, covering areas such as track-and-trace, the electronic bill of lading, and booking data.

A digital bill of lading that carries the same three legal functions as the paper original (receipt, contract of carriage, document of title) in electronic form, exchanged through an approved platform.

The Harmonized System code, an international product-classification number maintained by the World Customs Organization and used to assess duties, apply restrictions, and compile trade statistics. The first six digits are global, and countries extend it for their own tariffs.

The European Union's Import Control System 2, the customs pre-arrival security programme that requires advance cargo information to be filed before goods arrive in or transit the EU. It has been introduced in phases by transport mode, with Release 3 (4 December 2024) bringing maritime cargo into scope.

The Standard Carrier Alpha Code, a two-to-four letter identifier assigned by the NMFTA (National Motor Freight Traffic Association) that uniquely identifies a transport carrier.

The shipper's formal instruction to the carrier on how to draw up the bill of lading: shipper, consignee, notify party, cargo description, marks, and the rest of the BL detail. It is submitted after the booking and before the BL cut-off.

CMA CGM's digital spot-rate booking channel, which returns an instant quote at a price locked for 24 hours (72 hours with the Lock My Price option), with priority booking confirmation within 2 hours, priority equipment release, and priority loading. It is accessed through My CMA CGM.

A second set of original bills of lading issued to replace the first set, used to change details such as shipper, consignee, or port marks. It is common in back-to-back or triangular trades where the end buyer should not see the original supplier.

A way of releasing cargo at destination without presenting paper originals: the shipper surrenders all original BLs at origin, and the carrier sends an electronic message authorising its destination office to release the cargo to the named consignee.

Verified Gross Mass, the total weight of a packed container (cargo plus the container's tare) that the shipper must verify and submit to the carrier before it can be loaded. It has been mandatory under the SOLAS convention since July 2016.