The shape of a boat or ship which sees the shape of the hull comes to a straight line to the keel.

A document required for commodities deemed important to national security, foreign-policy objectives, or protecting domestic supplies of strategic materials. The license constitutes permission to export a specific product to a specific party. The exporter applies for the license, which must be returned to an Export Administration after completing the specified shipments.

A consignment which contains one or more valuable articles.

This is a type of customs inspection conducted by customs authorities when they have grounds to be suspicious about the customs value.

Transport charges for certain goods, based on the value declared for the carriage of such goods (also: 'Ad Valorem').

A form of indirect sales tax paid on products and services at each stage of production or distribution, based on the value added at that stage and included in the cost to the ultimate customer.

Variation on supply chain. The term is used to communicate the value each member, contributor or participant adds to the value of the final delivered product.

A statement of the unique value add an organization offers its customers in differentiating itself from its competition.

A rope leading from the gaff to either side of the deck; used to prevent the gaff from sagging. For more information see boom vang.

The maximum degree of heel after which a vessel becomes unable to return to an upright position.

A term for stowing cargo in a container.

Costs that vary directly with the level of activity within a short time. Examples include costs of moving cargo inland on trains or trucks, stevedoring in some ports, and short-term equipment leases.

A VAT number is required to import into the EU.

External supplier of merchandise.

A container designed with openings in the side and/or end walls to permit the ingress of outside air when the doors are closed.

Verified Copy (VC) is a draft of Bill of Lading (B/L) issued by the carrier to the shipper who gave his final approval that all inserted Information in this draft are correct.

The expansion, acquisition or merger of firms in the same value chain e.g. a supermarket buying a dairy producer that provides milk to the supermarket.

A floating structure designed for the transport of cargo and/or passengers.

The international carrier is obligated to make declarations of the ship's crew and contents at both the port of departure and arrival. The vessel manifest lists various details about each shipment by bill of lading number. Obviously, the bill of lading serves as the core source from which the manifest is created.

A carrier defined by maritime law, offering an international cargo transport service operating their own vessels under their own rate structure in accordance with tariffs filed with the Federal Maritime Commission.

A term agreement between two or more carriers in which a number of container positions (""slots"") equal in space are reserved on particular vessels for each of the participants. The number of slots (space) on different vessels on the same route can vary by vessel type and direction but may also be expressed as each party's capacity use of the vessels employed jointly.

Allows equipment and supplies arriving at one port to be loaded on a vessel, aircraft, etc., for its exclusive use and to be exported from the same port.

A unit of interior capacity of ships equal to 100 cubic feet or 2,832 cubic metres; register ton.

Used in tariffs to specify commodities.

Vessel Operation Deployment Key Account

Measure of relative deviation in a system.

A Genoa-based container operator.

A charge for the carriage of goods based on their volume (by units of one cubic metre or 40 cubic feet).

Rate applicable in connection with a specified volume (weight) of freight.

The journey of cargo consignment from its origin to final destination.

A contract under which the shipowner agrees to carry an agreed quantity of cargo from a specified port or ports to another port or ports for a remuneration called freight, which is calculated according to the quantity of cargo loaded, or sometimes at a lump sum freight.

The reference number assigned by the carrier or his agent to the voyage of the vessel.