Berth: (verb) To bring a ship to a berth. (noun) The wharf space at which a ship docks. A wharf may have two or three berths, depending on the length of incoming ships.
Bill of lading: A contract between a shipper and carrier listing the terms for moving freight between specified points.
Carrier: An individual, partnership or corporation engaged in the business of transporting goods or passengers
Cartage: Originally the process of transporting by cart. Today, the term is used for trucking or trucking fees.
Clerks: When cargo is unloaded from a ship, a clerk checks the actual count of the goods (number of boxes, drums, bundles, pipes, etc.) versus the amount listed on the ship’s manifest. He will note shortages, overages or damage. This is used to make claims if needed.
Common carrier: Trucking, railroad or barge lines that are licensed to transport goods or people nationwide are called common carriers.
Conference rate: Rates arrived at by conference of carriers applicable to water transportation.
Consignment: A shipment of goods. The buyer of this shipment is called the consignee; the seller of the goods is called the consignor.
Dockage: A charge by a port authority for the length of water frontage used by a vessel tied up at a wharf.
Draft: The depth of a loaded vessel in the water taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull of the vessel; depth of water, or distance between the bottom of the ship and waterline.
Fender piles: The wooden or plastic pilings on the outer edge of the wharf function like the fenders on a car. They are there to absorb the shock of a ship as it docks at the wharf and to protect the structural pilings that actually support the wharf. Fender piles are also called sacrifice piles since they are designed to be discarded after they are broken.
Fleeting: The area at which barges, towboats and tugs are berthed until needed. The operation of building or dismantling barge tows.
Freight forwarder: An individual or company that prepares the documentation and coordinates the movement and storage of export cargoes. See also Customs house broker.
Gantry crane: Track-mounted, shoreside crane utilized in the loading and unloading of breakbulk cargo, containers and heavy lift cargo.
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.
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