Glossary

Container

Also referred to as shipping containers, theyare a steel or aluminium frame forming a box in which cargo can be stowed for the transport of items by road, rail or sea.  They are fitted with special castings on the corners for securing to lifting equipment, vessels, chassis, rail cars, or stacking on other containers.  Containers come in many forms and types, including ventilated, insulated, refrigerated, flat rack, vehicle rack, open top, bulk liquid, dry bulk, or other special configurations. Typical containers may be 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet, 45 feet, 48 feet, or 53 feet in length. They can be 8 feet or 8.5 feet in width, and 8.5 feet or 9.5 feet in height.

Dunnage

Material used in stowing cargo, either for separation or the prevention of damage. This includes wooden dunnage, beams, planks, boards, wedges, plywood and hardboards, walking boards, mats and paper. It can also include sailcloth, canvas and tarpaulins, plastic and metal sheets, spray covers; cardboard and paperboard and packing paper.

Forwarder

Also known as a Freight Forwarder. This is a person or company who arranges for the carriage of goods and associated formalities on behalf of a shipper. The duties of a forwarder include booking space on a ship, providing all the necessary documentation, and arranging customs clearance.

Intermodul

The movement of containers between transport modes.

Loading/unloading

The movement of the container during transportation.

Packing

The process of filling the contents of a shipping container. This can also be referred to as stuffing.

Slip-sheet

A corrugated, solid fibre or plastic sheet that sits between stacks of shrink wrapped product. Each sheet has one to four tabs that run the length of the sheet and extend past the load and fold up to allow for grabbing by push/pull attachments. Unlike pallets, slip sheets use little storage space in the container or truck and allow the same amount of product to be stored as if it was stacked by hand.

Unpacking

The process of emptying the contents of a shipping container. This can also be referred to as destuffing, stripping or de-vanning.