The ABCs of Container Shipment

by Rupnarayan Bose

For the uninitiated, the world of container shipment could be ‘a jungle out there’. For example, does one know what distinguishes a port from a seaport or a dry port? How does one defines a berth, quay, pier, jetty and a CFS? What separates a container depot from a container yard, or a container port from a container terminal? Can one describe all the stages (with variations) of a container’s journey from the seller/exporter to the buyer/importer? How are the goods in containers “delivered” (as defined by the Incoterms 2020 rules) to the buyer? Does “delivery” – and hence the applicable Incoterms rule – vary with the mode of carriage? What are “on-dock CY” and “off-dock CY”? What is the difference between “dwell time” and “lay time” or between “demurrage” and “detention”? Not to forget terms such as LCL, FCL, CFS, CY, FIOS, CY/CY, CFS/CFS, the liner terms and many more. What precisely each of these jargons peculiar to the container transportation industry mean?

This book offers an understanding of the world of shipment of cargo by container. The exercise has definitely broadened my understanding of the world of Trade Finance. This book could be equally rewarding for you too.

191 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2022