Freight Forwarding Terminology

Indicates the constant multiplying factor when considering the effects of acceleration on a mass (load).

General Average. Average means Loss, hence general average means general loss in a maritime sense. If an event occurs which endangers the whole voyage, then all loss which arises in consequence of extraordinary sacrifices made or incurred for the preservation of the ship and cargo come within the ambit of general average, and the master or Owners may declare General Average. Such events may include stranding, fire, loss of propellor, etc. Specialized GA Adjusters then assess the potential damages and proportion costs against all parties to the voyage, including the ship owners, cargo owners, etc. All normal marine insurance policies include cover against GA. The Yorke-Antwerp Rules are an agreed international protocol for dealing with this event.

A narrow portable platform used as a passage, by persons entering or leaving a vessel moored alongside a pier or quay.

Crane with horizontal traverse on which the runner moves forward and back. For container gantry cranes the load is carried by the runner spreader.

Specially designed for the transport of condensed (liquefied) gases. The most important gases are: ammonia, ethylene, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), which consists mainly of methane, and is cooled to a temperature of minus 163 degrees Celsius, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) such as butane and propane.

General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade. Now known as WTO - World Trade organization

Geneva Customs Convention on Containers. 1956 Convention regulating the international circulation of containers.

Gross Domestic Product: The total of goods and services produced by a nation over a given period, usually 1 year.

A non-bulk oil cargo composed of miscellaneous goods.

Ship used by either shipowner or charterer to carry goods of a number of shippers under different bills of lading.

Container corner made to ISA recommended design, sometimes called corner casting, and used to grip the container by interlocking for handling.

Ports in order of calling

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. A global system of inter-linked satellites providing a positioning system combined with emergency communications. A suitably equipped ship merely has to push a button on the console and its position and other data are automatically transmitted and displayed on equipment in emergency centers. Completed late 1998-99.

Gross National Product: GDP plus the net income accruing from foreign sources.

Equivalent to CARGO.

Cargo owned by or subsidized by the U.S. Federal Government.

General Purpose container. See also DRY CONTAINER.

Genoa Port Differential. Surcharge on goods consigned through the port of Genoa.

Cubic capacity in 'grain'

Ports in the lakes of Canada and/or USA popular for grain shipments. In Canada: Port Arthur and Fort William in Lake Superior; Hamilton, Kingston, Toronto and Prescott in Lake Ontario. In USA: Chicago, Milwaukee in Lake Michigan; Duluth and Superior in Lake Superior and Toledo in Lake Erie.

Cargo ship developed to carry raw materials and manufactured goods on the Great Lakes. Most carry bulk cargoes of grain, iron ore or coal.

Freight money collected or to be collected without calculating the expenses relating to the running cost of the ship for the voyage undertaken.

A common measurement of the internal volume of a ship with certain spaces excluded. One ton equals 100 cubic feet; the total of all the enclosed spaces within a ship expressed in tons each of which is equivalent to 100 cubic feet.

Gross Tonnage (GT) or Net Tonnage (NT). This is not a measurement of weight as we traditionally think of it. It is a measurement of the amount of vessel space: a ton is 100 cubic feet. A ship's gross tonnage is all the cubic feet in its enclosed spaces: cargo holds, engine room, and deck house divided by 100. Gross tonnage is the basis on which manning rules and safety regulations are applied, and registration fees are reckoned. Port fees are also often reckoned on the basis of GT and NT. GT and NT are defined according to formulas which take account, among other things, of the volume of the vessel's enclosed spaces (GT) and the volume of its holds (NT).

Deliberate contact by a ship with the bottom while she is moored or anchored as a result of the water level dropping.

Service providing facilities for small consignments to be consolidated and transported (in a container).

Gross Vehicle Weight. Combined total weight of vehicle and load inclusive of prime-mover.

Gross Weight. Weight of cargo plus all packing equipment including cargo.