Samskip Glossary

A glossary of words and their definitions used in the transport industry

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Account Manager
A sales representative who develops and keeps strong relationships with customers, connecting with key business executives and stakeholders. Account Managers prepare sales reports, answer client queries, identify new business opportunities among new and existing customers and monitor that customers book as budgeted.

Accrued cost (ACR)
Estimated expenses booked in SAP (booked on a cost ledger account). Only applies for activities which are completed and for which no confirmed RCN (reverse convertible note) is processed, or an invoice is approved.

Accrued revenue
Revenue for rendered services which are recognized but not yet invoiced.

Actual cost
The final cost / invoice for the product and or service offered

Application Programming Interface (API)
A software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. (Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message, or check the weather on your phone, you’re using an API).

Approval time
Time it takes a cost owner to approve an invoice

Archived quotes
Non active quotes stored

Arrival (ARRI)
Event which occurs, when a mode of transport reaches its final or intermediate destination, and the mode of transport is ready for load/ discharge operations to begin at the specified location. Depending on the mode of transport arrival will have different definitions: • Vessel: A vessel has arrived once the vessel is berthed at the port terminal. • Rail: A rail transport has arrived once the transport is stationary at the terminal. • Truck: A truck has arrived once the truck is stationary in front of the (un)loading dock or other (un)loading facility.

Balance
Repositioning ratio of roundtrip

Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of bulk goods. Originally barges were towed by draft horses on an adjacent towpath. Barges have changed throughout time. From 1967 to 1983 barges were considered a flat bottom boat that was nineteen feet in length or larger.

Base Rate Freight
Rate for a transport from one place to another excluding surcharges and charges for additional services. Base rate freight is based on transport costs + pre-defined margins

Berth
A designated location in a port or harbour used for mooring vessels

Bi-weekly
Once every other week

Booked quotes
All offered quotes with at least one booking on them

Booking
A reservation of space and/ or equipment for a vessel/ voyage and possibly inland transport with a specific origin/ destination/ equipment type and commodity. Created by Customer Service or by the customer (via the customer portal). Booking can include surcharges that are not included in the quote.

Booking Owner
Customer service representative, can also be a customer service department, responsible for a customer booking

Border crossing
The point on a border between two countries, where people, transports or goods can cross. This may or may not include a customs checkpoint.

Breakbulk
Cargo not stuffed in a container or trailer: cargo carried in unitized form such as palletised, bagged, strapped, bundled, drummed and crated. Also non unitised general cargo such as verhicles, steel, etc.

Business Type
Entered in the agreement between MySamskip and the customer (Door2Door, Quay2Quay, BreakBulk).

Capacity
Available space on a type of transport (barge, train, vessel) expressed in pay load (tonnage/ weight), TEUs and/ or units or number of transport units (for instance trucks) available. Could also apply to specific type of units, like reefers.

Capacity utilization
Measures the percentage of a modalities potential output that is actually being realized

Car carrier container
Container/load unit made especially for shipment of cars over long distances. Mostly used in road or rail transport

Carriage Insurance Paid To (CIP)
Similar to CPT, with on important difference. This rule requires the seller to take out maximum insurance cover under Institute Cargo Clauses (A) or (Air) or similar, for the buyer’s risk. The seller must give the buyer any insurance document the buyer will need in case it must claim under that insurance.

Carriage Paid To (CPT)
Risk transfers from the seller to the buyer as soon as the goods reach the nominated destination and the carrier takes charge of these.

Collection
Loading of goods into a container/ trailer at customer location or changing of pre-loading equipment. with an empty one (stand chassis operation). The collection is completed after the unit is sealed and a signed CMR/ E-CMR is received by the driver.

Collection Owner
Customer service representative responsible for arranging collection of a certain order or goods

Commercial Tender
Process where customer invite bids for large number of traffic lanes that must be submitted within a finite deadline. Based on specific terms and conditions

Commodity
Description of the cargo loaded into a container. Often described using the Harmonized System-classification system.

Consignee
The party to whom a cargo is consigned under a contract of carriage or a transport document or electronic transport record. It can be the end receiver.

Cost and Freight (CFR)
The seller is required to clear the goods for export, deliver them onboard the ship at the port of departure, and pay for transport of the goods to the named port of destination

Cost Center
Applies to function within an organization that does not directly generate revenue but still cost money to operate. Could either be a department, region and/ or activity/ modality over which costs are steered.

Cost Estimate (CE)
Approximation of the costs of an activity based on contractual rate/ terms and operational data.

Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF)
An international shipping agreement, which represents the charges paid by a seller to cover the costs, insurance, and freight of a buyer's order while the cargo is in transit.

Cross-dock
Moving of goods from a container to trailer or vice versa. 

Curtain side container
Provides easy loading and unloading access for freight on both sides. (And where an open sided unit is not suitable.)

Customer
Someone who buys goods or services from a business.

Customer location
The premises of the customer. This can be the premises of either the shipper or the consignee.

Customer Specific agreement
A customized agreement based on the Samskip default agreement. The specific agreement must have a validity-start-date and a validity-end-date. The conditions and charges of the Samskip customer specific agreement apply to a transport if the rate-agreement based on which the booking is created refers to the Samskip default agreement.

Cut-off
The latest point in time where a container has to be delivered to a terminal to be loaded on a modality, or where certain documentation has to be provided by the Shipper (cutt-off for documents). Example: CY cut-off, FCL cut-off, VGM cut-off, DG cut-off."

Dangerous Goods
Any substance or material that is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce.

Dangerous Goods (DG)
Any substance or material that is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce.

Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD)
Document prepared by a consignor or shipper in accordance with applicable dangerous good conventions or regulations to certify that the dangerous goods being transported have been packaged, labeled, and declared in accordance with the standard international shipping regulations.

Data completeness
The degree to which all data in a dataset is available. Percentage of non-missing data entries.

Data-driven (Decision-making process)
Ensure that each decision is based on analysis of relevant data (instead of intuition and observation)

Default agreement
A Samskip default agreement is a listing of surcharges and additional services which may apply on top of the base rate for the transport agreement. The conditions and charges of the Samskip default agreement apply to a transport if the rate-agreement based on which the order is created refers to the Samskip default agreement.

Delivered at Place (DAP)
The seller delivers the goods at a named destination, specified by the buyer, although under the ICC rules, the unloading of the goods are the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer is also required to sort out duties and taxes, as well as clearing the goods through customs.

Delivered at Place Unloaded (DPU)
Delivered at Place Unloaded Requires the seller to deliver the goods at the disposal of the buyer after they've been unloaded from the arriving means of transport

Delivery
The action of delivering a container to a customer location. The delivery is completed once the possession of the container (or goods within the container) is legally transferred to the customer from the haulier. (Unloading of goods from container/ trailer at customer). By having the CMR/E-CMR signed and handover to the driver.

Delivery Duty Paid (DDP)
Describes the delivery of goods where the seller takes most responsibility. Under DDP, the supplier is responsible for paying for all of the costs associated with the delivery of goods right up until they get to the named place of destination

Delivery Owner
Customer service representative responsible for arranging delivery of a certain order or goods

Departure (DEPA)
"Event which occurs when a mode of transport leaves a place of operations. Depending on the mode of transport departure will have different definitions: • Vessel: Departure has been completed once the last mooring has been released. • Rail: Departure has been completed once the rail transport is no longer stationary at the departed terminal. • Truck: Departure has been completed once the truck is no longer stationary in front of the loading dock or loading facility. "

Depot
Depot is a designated area where empty equipment is stored between use.

Discharge
The action of lifting cargo or containers off a mode of transport. Discharge is the opposite of load.

Door-Door (D2D / DD)
A transport service covering carriage from loading at shippers premises to the unloading at the conisgnee's premises.

Door-Quay (DQ / QD)
Transport service covering carriage from loading at shippers premises to the unloading at the quay of the final port. Or vice versa, Quay-Door.

Dossier
Customer booking (term only applicable for Samskip Multimodal non-Genemuiden business). Term used in GOS. 

Drop-off
Container (full/ empty)  is lifted from truck chassis at location and left there for e.g. further intermodal transport (also applies for trailers, except doesn’t require lifting from chassis).

Dry bulk container
The most commonly used "normal" shipping containers; come in various dimensions standardized by ISO. Used for shipping of dry materials and come in the size of 20ft, 40 ft and 10ft

Dwell time
Time a truck or container spends at a scheduled stop without moving (remains at the same position) e.g. at the termininal, location, or stage in a process, et.

EDIFACT
Elec­tronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport. EDI Standard with the purpose to allows for a multi-country and multi-industry exchange of electronic business documents and files securely

Electronic data interchange (EDI)
Concept of businesses electronically communicating information that was traditionally communicated on paper, such as purchase orders and invoices.

Empty mileage
Number of kilometers performed by truck with empty or no container or trailer.

Ex Works (EXW)
The delivery of goods to an available designation at their place of business, normally in their factory, offices or warehouse.

Expired quotes
Quotes where the valid until date has passed

Extended quotes
Prolong the validity of a quote that has ended or will end on short term

Fill-rate (= utilization rate)
Measure of the share of the total capacity of the asset filled by (paying and/ or non-paying) cargo

Flat rack container
Container with collapsible sides - at the short end, these are like simple storage shipping containers where the sides can be folded so as to make a flat rack for shipping of a wide variety of goods. (multiple stacked flatracks can be shipped as one container)

Forward cost allocation
Assumed costs that follow the same logic and method as standard costs but might deviate from the standard costs due to (higher or lower) volume, specific operational requirements, validity and dedicated routing plus capacity.

Free Alongside Ship (FAS)
Requires the seller to place the goods alongside the vessel nominated by the buyer

Free Carrier (FCA)
Pushes the responsibility of delivering the goods to the buyers nominated premises onto the seller, so they have to organise shipping and various export documents

Free on Board (FOB)
Requires the seller to place the goods on board the vessel nominated by the buyer

Full Container Load (FCL)
Full Container Load is a shipment type where a cargo occupies the full size of a container. Sometimes the container may not be fully filled, but the rate is charged on the basis of a full container. FCL is the standard form of shipping for a large cargo.

Gate-in (GTIN)
The action, when a container is introduced into a controlled area like a port - or inland terminal. Gate in has been completed once the operator of the area is legally in possession of the container.

Gate-out (GTOT)
The action, when a container is removed from a controlled area like a port – or inland terminal. Gate out has been completed once the possession of the container has been transferred from the operator of the terminal to the entity, who is picking up the container.

General container
The most commonly used "normal" shipping containers; come in various dimensions standardized by ISO. Used for shipping of dry materials and come in the size of 20ft, 40 ft and 10ft

Geofencing
Location-based service in which an app or other software program uses radio frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi, GPS, or cellular data to trigger a targeted marketing action (such as a text, email, social media advertisement, app notification) when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area.

Half height container
Container half the height of a full-sized containers. Used especially for good like pipes, tools, chains, hooks and anchors in the offshore industry. Cargo which need easy loading and unloading.

High cube container
Similar to the 40ft standard containers in length and breadth but have a height difference of exactly 1 foot. That gives the high cubes an additional ~344 cubic feet of storage capacity.

Huckepack trailer
A rail-solution for intermodal transport across Europe. The huckepack system makes it possible to lift trailers 'on and off' cargo wagons, this secures that the major part of the transport can be done by rail track

Incoterms
Industry-standard rules which define responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under sales contracts

Inland terminal
A facility where containers are loaded, handling or discharged. The inland terminal can be serviced by trucks, rail and/or barges (at river terminals).

Insulated container
Type of container used to ship temperature sensitive products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, organs, blood, biologic materials, vaccines and chemicals. They are used as part of a cold chain to help maintain product freshness and efficacy

Internet of Things (IoT)
Connecting sensors and other electronic devices mounted on the shipping containers to the inertnet and/ or local systems. (This is done in order to send and receive data to and from the devices for different supply chain purposes and applications).

Job
One (1) transport conducted by one supplier based on one supplier order. In practice, this could be a roundtrip or a single.

Key Performance indicator (KPI)
A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.

Less than Container Load (LCL)
A shipment that is not large enough to fill a standard cargo container. As such it is also used as a general reference for identifying cargo in any quantity intended for carriage in a container, where the carrier is responsible for packing and/or unpacking the container. For operational purposes a LCL container is considered a container in which multiple consignments or parts thereof are shipped.

Load
The action of lifting any cargo or container on board of the vessel for transportation. Or for the loading of a container ("to load"). Can also refer to a container or booking ("a load").

Materials
Qualification of an activity translated into a material which determines the GL account. Within SAP.

Milestone
A significant occurrence or change of status affecting the process flow of physical or immaterial equipment or documents.

Objectives and key results (OKR)
Collaborative goal-setting tool used by teams and individuals to set challenging, ambitious goals with measurable results.

Off Hire Container
An off-hire container is one that has been returned to the owner’s (the lessor) yard by the lessee after the lease period.

Offered quotes
Quotes offered to the customer. Draft quotes or quotes with status sent back are not included.

On Hired Container
Containers that have been earmarked for lease to a lessee.

Open side storage container
Storage units provided with doors that can change into completely open sides providing a much wider room for loading of materials

Open top container
Container with a convertible top that can be completely removed to make an open-top so that materials of any height can be shipped easily

Operational excellence
The ambition to be best-in-class in everything we do

Pick-up
Container (full/ empty) is picked up at any terminal (sea or inland) loaded on a truck chassis at location for transport by truck (also applies for trailers, except doesn’t require loading on chassis).

Port
A facility with piers or docks. Ports are accessed by vessels and barges and represent the destinations of a voyage. Ports can contain one or more terminals

Port call
A intermediate stop of a vessel in the rotation of ports on the voyage for i.e. cargo operation, repairs or taking on supplies or fuel. A vessel may have several terminal calls during a single port call.

Port call swap
Occurs when the vessel port call rotation is changed after publication of the long-term schedule

Port of Discharge (POD)
Location where the cargo is discharged from the last sea-going vessel.

Port of Loading (POL)
Location where the cargo is loaded onto a first sea-going vessel for water transportation.

Port Omission
When a ship does not call a port included in the long-term schedule that was planned at the start of the voyage.

Potential customer
Someone who seeks professional services from a business.

Profit Center
Applies to function within an organization that does directly generate external revenue.

Purchase Order (PO)
Legal document (T&C). Send by buyer to a supplier (includes types of goods, quantity, and price). By approving PO, supplier confirms they can fulfill request. Samskip examples include the confirmed PO overview and the confirmed RCN.

Quated rate
Total Freight rate: Base Rate Freight + stipulated surcharges (known surcharge at time of quoting, for instance additional collection charges).

Quay
A stone or metal platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships.

Quay dwell time
Amount of days the container stays on quay after equipment is available.

Quay-Quay (Q2Q / QQ)
Transport service from one terminal/port to another terminal/port.

Quote (QTE)
A quote is the product (origin, destination, equipment type, transit, potentially routing, etc.) that Samskip offers including the corresponding selling price towards a customer.   

Quoted Cost
In MySamskip; based on calculated Standard Costs adjusted for customer specific requirements. For example, specific time windows and side loaders. Currently fixed standard costs available for certain customer requirements.

Re-export
Upon customer's request or because cargo is refused at destination, container must be returned to port of loading or another import location

Re-quotes
To offer a new quote for the same request against current conditions

Re-use
When an import customer wants to reuse the import container for a new export.

Refrigerated container (Reefer)
An intermodal container (shipping container) used in intermodal freight transport that is capable of refrigeration for the transportation of temperature-sensitive, perishable cargo such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and other similar items

Repositioning
A non-freight paying transport of an empty container to ensure that the container will be at a depot or terminal where it is needed for freight paying cargo.

Return on Investment (ROI)
Net profits divided by net worth or total equity. Expressed in percentages (%).

Revenue recognition moment
Moment in time when revenue is reported.

Roll over
When an ocean freight cargo is said to have been ‘rolled’, it means it has not been loaded onto the vessel, barge or train it was meant to be shipped on but rolled to a subsequent vessel, barge or train.

Roundtrip
For a modality, a full trip from the start location to a (one or multiple) destination and its return trip to the start location combined.

Running quotes
Quotes where the valid until date has not passed yet

Sales office
Office to conduct full sales services

Samskip
Samskip is a Dutch company with its headquarter in Rotterdam, Netherlands which was founded originally in Iceland, in 1990. With offices in 35 countries across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia, we offer transport and related services by land, sea, rail and air, around the world, focusing on cost efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly solutions.

Shippers Owned Container (SOC)
Indicates that a shipping container is owned by the shipper, consignee or the person responsible for receiving the shipment. 

Single trip
For a modality, a single trip from a start location to a particular other destination.

Static Bound
Direction of the transport.

Static Route
Part of the business where responsibilities and results are allocated to based on the route of the quote/booking.

Static Unit
Part of the business where responsibilities and results are allocated to based on a combination of the equipment used and the route of the quote/booking.

Strong leg
The bound within a roundtrip that has most freight paying cargo and generally also resulting in a higher average revenue compared to the other bound.

Supplier
Someone who is selling a product or a service. The term "vendor" is typically used to describe the entity that is paid for goods that are provided, rather than the manufacturer of the goods itself. However, it is possible for a vendor to operate as both a supplier (or seller) of goods and a manufacturer.

Swap body
Type of freight container used for road and rail transport. The size of these containers is standardised and they cannot be stacked. Folding legs under their frame is a typical characteristic of swap bodies

Tank container
Container storage units used mostly for transportation of liquid materials, gases and powders

Terminal
A facility for loading, handling or discharging containers. Terminals can be both inland terminals for trucks and rail or port terminals are accessed by vessels and these can contain multiple berths.

Transit Time (TT)
Interval needed for a shipment to be delivered once it has been picked up from the point of departure. The exact time is mostly measured in hours and days. (For samskip the TT start when the truck departs with the goods/ container from the premises of the customer and ends when the goods/ container are delivered at the final destination.)

Transport Type
Describes the start and endpoint of the transport, whether that location is a terminal or a customer address, based on the execution of the booking. E.g., Door2Door, Quay2Quay, BreakBulk.

Transshipment
For short sea vessels, re-locating of cargo or containers from one vessel to another vessel, while in transit to its final destination.

Tunnel container
Container storage units provided with doors on both ends of the container, they are extremely helpful in quick loading and unloading of materials

Twenty-foot equivalent Unit (TEU)
A measure used for capacity in container transportation.  Therefore; a 40” container is 2 TEU and a 45” container = 2,25 TEU. To be confirmed by board about 45’’ container. In current way of working, no uniformity on number of TEUs for 45’’ container. 

UN Location Code (UNLOCODE)
Identifies a location in the sense of a city/ a town/ a village, being the smaller administrative area existing as defined by the competent national authority in each country. A complete UN Location Code is a combination of a 2-character country code and a 3-character city/ town/ area LOCODE, e.g. NLRTM is known as the city of Rotterdam (RTM), which is in the Netherlands (NL)

Verified Gross Mass (VGM)
"Total gross mass of the cargo and packaging plus container tare weight; obtained either through: • Using calibrated and certified equipment where the Shipper is required to weighs the packed container at the end of the stuffing operation; or, • The shipper weighs all packages, cargo items, pallets, dunnage and other packing and securing material and adds the tare mass of the container. The total sum finally obtained is the weight to be provided."

Weak leg
The bound within a roundtrip that has the least freight paying cargo and generally also resulting in a lower average revenue compared to the other bound.