Shipping Glossary
The shipping industry is full of abbreviations.
Below you will find some of the most common abbreviations explained.
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Bunker Adjustment Factor.
The BAF is reviewed on a monthly basis and the level is based on the average price for the range between the 15th and 14th of the two preceding months.
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Integrated Electronic Data Inter-change.
A powerful way of business communication. To ensure fast and efficient communication, Unifeeder has direct EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) connections with most customers, ports, terminals, and authorities throughout the region.
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On transoceanic routes, international container shipping lines use large container ships with capacities of up to 18,000 TEU. The cargo is discharged at large transshipment ports (hubs) and reloaded on smaller vessels (feeders) for further transport to the actual port of destination. Read more about Unifeeder's feeder operations.
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Health, Safety, Security and Environment
Unifeeder has formulated clear Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) policies that address these risks. The policies reflect Unifeeder’s aim to provide stringent health and safety information throughout the organization as well as to partners in the transport industries.
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International Maritime Dangerous Goods
A code regulating the transport of dangerous goods at sea. At Unifeeder we transport both hazardous and non-hazardous cargo.
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International Maritime Organisation
IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships
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International Organisation for Standardisation
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, develops and publishes International Standards.
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International Ship and Port Security
The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities, developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
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Multimodal transportation is a process of moving cargo in a single container from door to door by combining land transport (road or rail) and maritime or river transport (vessel or barge) in one transportation chain.
See 6 ways to optimize your supply chain with multimodal transportation.
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Particularly Sensitive Sea Area
A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.
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When intra-European cargoes are carried from door-to-door, seaborne transport is combined with rail and/or road into an integrated multimodal transport chain that optimizes the whole supply chain rather than each individual link.
Read more about Unifeeder's shortsea operations.
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One TEU represents the cargo capacity of a standard intermodal container, 20 feet long and 8 feet wide.