Buss Port Glossary

  • Bracing

    Describes the securing of general cargo in the hold or containers by means of squared timber, air cushions and other means

  • Bulk Goods

    Goods that are shipped in large quantities (truckload or shipload), e.g., coal, ore, rocks, grain

  • Cargo

    Describes all the goods in a ship’s hold. One differentiates between bulk or mass cargo (e.g., grain, coal), wet cargo (e.g., oil), project cargo (e.g., cases, barrels, containers) and heavy cargo

  • Cargo Barge

    A pontoon-shaped floating loading container

  • CEU

    A unit for comparing various container types with regard to costs and returns

  • Container Chassis

    Equipment used for moving ISO containers. By means of a chassis and truck containers can be moved quickly and cost-effectively from the container port inland and back again

  • Container Terminal

    A port facility where containers are moved between container vessels and trucks or rail

  • Corner Castings

    Are fastening points found on the corners of a container. They are used for lifting, stacking and securing the container by means of twistlocks or other devices that are attached to them – cf. BBC

  • Double-linked Crane

    Rotary crane particularly suitable for heavy life cranes (e.g., floating cranes) with a large hoist

  • Flat/Flatrack

    Container based on a platform with stationary or folding front walls

  • Gantry Crane

    A track-mounted crane constructed for loading and unloading containers

  • General Cargo

    Goods sold piecewise or as freight

  • Grippers

    Describes a load suspension device used for lifting swap containers and semitrailers

  • Handling

    Loading and unloading cargo in port and at sea

  • Jib Crane

    A rotary crane that is especially well-suited for high-capacity general cargo traffic due to the luffing and slewing mechanism

  • Kollo

    An Italian word used to describe a transport unit or single cargo pieces

  • Lashing

    Describes the process of securing objects and cargo on ships

  • Launch

    Large motorboat for the conveyance of passengers in the port; the largest long boat on war ships

  • Lighter

    A small boat without self-propulsion used for loading and unloading larger ships

  • Liner Service

    Describes shipping traffic that touches at several ports within one timetable

  • Longshoreman

    A dock worker that loads and unloads ships

  • Project Cargo

    Heterogeneous cargo within a batch, e.g., loading a dismantled factory or facility (structural elements, machines, vehicles, steel, etc.)

  • Quay

    An embankment structure for loading and unloading ships anchored by means of steep structure (quay walls)

  • Reachstacker

    A special vehicle equipped with an engine used in the terminal area for transportation and handling containers

  • RoRo Ramp

    Equipment that enables road vehicles to be driven onto or off a RoRo ship or rail wagon

  • Shed

    Port building used for storage

  • Spot Transaction

    A transaction of immediate delivery of goods for immediate pay in international trade

  • Spreader

    A special load suspension device for lifting containers.   Twistlocks are found on each corner of the spreader, which are hooked and locked into the corner castings of a container

  • Stowing

    Loading the cargo onto a ship

  • Tramp

    Shipping on demand:  Mainly for transporting bulk goods.  The tramp shipping does not have a fixed timetable and picks up goods where offered.  The freight rate is based on supply and demand.

  • Trim

    Distributing cargo in the hold in order to attain an optimal position in the water

  • Unloading

    Describes the process of unloading a ship