B

B/L

Abbreviation for "Bill of Lading."

Backfreight

The owners of a ship are entitled to payment as freight for merchandise returned through the fault of either the consignees or the consignors. Such payment, which is over and above the normal freight, is called backfreight.

Backhaul

To haul a shipment back over part of a route it has traveled.

Backletter

Where a seller/shipper issues a 'letter of indemnity' in favor of the carrier in exchange for a clean bill of lading. May have only a limited value. Example: P & I problems.

BAF

Abbreviation for "Bunker Adjustment Factor." Used to compensate steamship lines for fluctuating fuel costs. Sometimes called "Fuel Adjustment Factor" or FAF.

Bagged Cargo

Various kinds of commodities usually packed in sacks or in bags, such as sugar, cement, milk powder, onion, grain, flour, etc.

Ballast

Heavy substances loaded by a vessel to improve stability, trimming, sea keeping and to increase the immersion at the propeller. Sea water ballast is commonly' loaded in most vessels in ballast tanks, positioned in compartments right at the bottom and in some cases on the sides, called wing tanks. On a tanker, ballast is seawater that is taken into the cargo tanks to submerge the vessel to a proper trim.

Ballast Bonus

Compensation for relatively long ballast voyage

Ballast Movement

A voyage or voyage leg made without any paying cargo in a vessel's tanks. To maintain proper stability, trim, or draft, seawater is usually carried during such movements.

Ballast Tank

Compartments at the bottom of a ship or on the sides which are filled with liquids for stability and to make the ship seaworthy. Any shipboard tank or compartment on a tanker normally used for carrying salt-water ballast. When these compartments or tanks are not connected with the cargo system, they are called segregated ballast tanks or systems.

Barge

Flat-bottomed boat designed to carry cargo on inland waterways, usually without engines or crew accommodations. Barges can be lashed together and either pushed or pulled by tugs, carrying cargo of 60,000 tons or more. Small barges for carrying cargo between ship and shore are known as lighters. Georgia’s inland ports in Bainbridge and Columbus offer barge service, as well as Columbia Coastal via the Port of Savannah.

Balloon Freight

Light, bulky articles.

Bank Guarantee

Guarantee issued by a bank to a carrier to be used in lieu of lost or misplaced original negotiable bill of lading.

Barratry

An act committed by the master or mariners of a vessel, for some unlawful or fraudulent purpose, contrary to their duty to the owners, whereby the latter sustain injury. It may include negligence, if so gross as to evidence fraud.

Barrel (BBL)

A term of measure referring to 42 gallons of liquid at 60o F.

Base Rate

A tariff term referring to ocean rate less accessorial charges, or simply the base tariff rate.

BCO

Abbreviation for "Beneficial Cargo Owner." Refers to the importer of record, who physically takes possession of cargo at destination and does not act as a third party in the movement of such goods.

Beam

The width of a ship.

Belly Cargo

Freight accommodation below the main deck.

Belt Line

A switching railroad operating within a commercial area.

Beneficiary

- Entity to whom money is payable.
- The entity for whom a letter of credit is issued.
- The seller and the drawer of a draft.

Beneficial Owner

The actual owner of the lading who is using a consolidator

Berth: 

The structure where a vessel is secured for the loading and unloading cargo. The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal maintains 7 massive container berths measuring 7,726 linear feet in length. With the construction of Container Berth 8 to commence in 2004, the Garden City Terminal will add another 2,100 linear feet to the berth’s length.

Berth Cargo

When a liner cargo vessel accepts extra cargo to fill the empty space
remaining.

Berth Liner Service

A regularly scheduled steamship line with regularly published schedules (ports of call) from and to defined trade areas.

Berth Terms

Shipped under rate that includes cost from end of ship's tackle at load port to end of ship's tackle at discharge port.

Beyond

Used with reference to charges assessed for cargo movement past a line-haul terminating point.

Bilateral

A contract term meaning both parties agree to provide something for the other.

Bill of Exchange

In the United States, commonly known as a "Draft."   However, bill of exchange is the correct term.

Bill of Lading (B/L)

A document that establishes the terms of a contract between a shipper and a transportation company. It serves as a document of title, a contract of carriage and a receipt for goods.

- Amended B/L:

B/L requiring updates that do not change financial status; this is slightly different from corrected B/L.

- B/L Terms & Conditions:

the fine print on B/L; defines what the carrier can and cannot do, including the carrier's liabilities and contractual agreements.

- B/L's Status:

represents whether the bill of lading has been input, rated, reconciled, printed, or released to the customer.

- B/L's Type:

refers to the type of B/L being issued. Some examples are: a Memo (ME), Original (OBL), Nonnegotiable, Corrected (CBL) or Amended (AM) B/L.

- Canceled B/L:

B/L status; used to cancel a processed B/L; usually per shipper's request; different from voided B/L.

- Clean B/L:

A B/L which bears no superimposed clause or notation which declares a defective condition of the goods and/or the packaging.

- Combined B/L:

B/L that covers cargo moving over various transports.

- Consolidated B/L:

B/L combined or consolidated from two or more B/L's.

- Corrected B/L:

B/L requiring any update which results in money or other financially related changes.

- Domestic B/L:

Non-negotiable B/L primarily containing routing details; usually used by truckers and freight forwarders.

- Duplicate B/L:

Another original Bill of Lading set if first set is lost. also known as reissued B/L.

- Express B/L:

Non-negotiable B/L where there are no hard copies of originals printed.

- Freight B/L:

A contract of carriage between a shipper and forwarder (who is usually a NVOCC); a non-negotiable document.

- Government B/L (GBL):

A bill of lading issued by the U.S. government.

- Hitchment B/L:

B/L covering parts of a shipment which are loaded at more than one location. Hitchment B/L usually consists of two parts, hitchment and hitchment memo. The hitchment portion usually covers the majority of a divided shipment and carries the entire revenue.

- House B/L:

B/L issued by a freight forwarder or consolidator covering a single shipment containing the names, addresses and specific description of the goods shipped.

- Intermodal B/L:

B/L covering cargo moving via multimodal means. Also known as Combined Transport B/L, or Multimodal B/L.

- Long Form B/L:

B/L form with all Terms & Conditions written on it.  Most B/L's are short form which incorporate the long form clauses by reference.

- Memo B/L:

Unfreighted B/L with no charges listed.

- Military B/L:

B/L issued by the U.S. military; also known as GBL, or Form DD1252.

- B/L Numbers:

U.S. Customs' standardized B/L numbering format to facilitate electronic communications and to make each B/L number unique.

- Negotiable B/L:

The B/L is a title document to the goods, issued "to the order of" a party, usually the shipper, whose endorsement isrequired to effect is negotiation.  Thus, a shipper's order (negotiable) B/L can be bought, sold, or traded while goods are in transit and is commonly used for letter-of-credit transactions.   The buyer must submit the original B/L to the carrier in order to take possession of the goods.

- Non-Negotiable B/L:

See Straight B/L. Sometimes means a file copy of a B/L.

- Non-Negotiable B/L:

See Straight B/L. Sometimes means a file copy of a B/L.

- "Onboard" B/L:

B/L validated at the time of loading to transport. Onboard Air, Boxcar, Container, Rail, Truck and Vessel are the most common types.

- Original B/L:

The part of the B/L set that has value, especially when negotiable; rest of set are only informational file copies. Abbreviated as OBL.

- Received for Shipment B/L:

Validated at time cargo is received by ocean carrier to commence movement but before being validated as "Onboard".

- Short Term B/L:

Opposite of Long Form B/L, a B/L without the Terms & Conditions written on it. Also known as a Short Form B/L. The terms are incorporated by reference to the long form B/L.

Split B/L:

One of two or more B/L's which have been split from a single B/L.

- Stale B/L:

A late B/L; in banking, a B/L which has passed the time deadline of the L/C and is void.

- Straight (Consignment) B/L:

Indicates the shipper will deliver the goods to the consignee.  It does not convey title (non-negotiable).  Most often used when the goods have been pre-paid.

- "To Order" B/L:

See Negotiable B/L.

- Unique B/L Identifier:

U.S. Customs' standardization: four-alpha code unique to each carrier placed in front of nine digit B/L number; APL's unique B/L Identifier is "APLU". Sea-land uses "SEAU". These prefixes are also used as the container identification.

- Voided B/L:

Related to Consolidated B/L; those B/L's absorbed in the combining process. Different from Canceled B/L.

Bill of Lading Port of Discharge

Port where cargo is discharged from means of transport.

Bill of Sale

Confirms the transfer of ownership of certain goods to another person in return for money paid or loaned.

Bill to Party

Customer designated as party paying for services.

Billed Weight

The weight shown in a waybill and freight bill, i.e, the invoiced weight.

Blanket Bond

A bond covering a group of persons, articles or properties.

Blanket Rate

- A rate applicable to or from a group of points.
- A special rate applicable to several different articles in a single shipment.

Blanket Waybill

A waybill covering two or more consignments of freight.

Blind Shipment

A B/L wherein the paying customer has contracted with the carrier that shipper or consignee information is not given.

Block Stowage

Stowing cargo destined for a specific location close together to avoid unnecessary cargo movement.

Blocked Trains

Railcars grouped in a train by destination so that segments (blocks) can be uncoupled and routed to different destinations as the train moves through various junctions. Eliminates the need to break up a train and sort individual railcars at each junction.

Blocking or Bracing

Wood or metal supports (Dunnage) to keep shipments in place to prevent cargo shifting.

 Bls.

Abbreviation for "Bales."

Board

To gain access to a vessel.

Board Feet

The basic unit of measurement for lumber. One board foot is equal to a oneinch board, 12 inches wide and one foot long. Thus, a board ten feet long, 12 inches wide, and one inch thick contains ten board feet.

Bobtail

Movement of a tractor, without trailer, across over the highway.  The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal maintains a state-of-the-art gate system that provides designated gates for bobtail activity.  This strategy assists with the expedited flow of cargo through the terminal.

Bogie

A set of wheels built specifically as rear wheels under the container.

Bolster

A device fitted on a chassis or railcar to hold and secure the container.

Bond Port

Port of initial Customs entry of a vessel to any country. Also known as First Port of Call.

Bonded Freight

Freight moving under a bond to U.S. Customs or to the Internal Revenue Service, and to be delivered only under stated conditions.

Bonded Warehouse

A warehouse authorized by Customs authorities for storage of goods on which payment of duties is deferred until the goods are removed.

Booking

Arrangements with a carrier for the acceptance and carriage of freight; i.e., a space reservation.

Booking Number

Reservation number used to secure equipment and act as a control number prior to completion of a B/L.

Bottom Side Rails

Structural members on the longitudinal sides of the base of the container.

Bottom-Air Delivery

A type of air circulation in a temperature control container. Air is pulled by a fan from the top of the container, passed through the evaporator coil for cooling, and then forced through the space under the load and up through the cargo. This type of airflow provides even temperatures.

Bow

The front of a vessel.

Boxcar

A closed rail freight car.

Breakbulk

Loose, non-containerized products. Examples include Georgia forest products such as cut lumber, Georgia kaolin clay, Georgia granite, imported steel and imported coiled steel. The Georgia Ports Authority owns and operates dedicated breakbulk facilities in Savannah and Brunswick. 

Breakbulk Vessel

(1) A vessel designed to handle palletized, pre-slung, boxed, and unitized cargo. Holds can be at the open bay or between deck type. Between deck means, the hold can be converted from multi levels to open bay. This type of vessel is usually self-sustaining. (2) A general, multipurpose, cargo ship that carriers cargoes of non-uniform sizes, often on pallets, resulting in labor-intensive loading and unloading;