Earliest Receiving Date (ERD)

• Definition: This is the first date when a port or terminal will begin accepting cargo for a specific vessel sailing.
• Scope: Applies to all types of cargo.
• Implication: Before this date, the terminal is not prepared to handle cargo for the particular voyage.

Latest Receiving Date (LRD)

• Definition: This is the final date by which a port or terminal will accept cargo for a specific vessel.
• Scope: Applies to all kinds of cargo.
• Implication: After this date, you risk missing the voyage if your cargo has not been accepted by the terminal.

Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

• Definition: The date and time when a vessel is expected to arrive at a port.
• Scope: Pertains to the ship's arrival at a specific port or terminal.
• Implication: Used for planning logistics and scheduling.

Actual Time of Arrival (ATA)

• Definition: The actual date and time when a vessel arrives at a port.
• Scope: Relates to the ship's confirmed arrival.
• Implication: Critical for assessing delays and other operational impacts.

Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)

• Definition: The projected date and time when a vessel will depart from a port.
• Scope: Pertains to the vessel’s scheduled departure.
• Implication: Used for planning and scheduling activities around the vessel’s departure.

Actual Time of Departure (ATD)

• Definition: The actual date and time when a vessel leaves a port.
• Scope: Relates to the ship's confirmed departure.
• Implication: Critical for assessing whether operations are running on schedule.

Reefer Cut-Off Date (RCD)

• Definition: The last date by which refrigerated cargo must be received by the terminal.
• Scope: Applies specifically to refrigerated cargo.
• Implication: Failing to meet this deadline could mean your cargo will not be loaded onto the vessel.

Cargo Cut-Off Date (CCD)

• Definition: The last date by which all types of cargo must be received by the terminal.
• Scope: Applies to all kinds of cargo.
• Implication: Any cargo received after this date may not be loaded onto the vessel.

Verified Gross Mass Cut-Off Date (VGMCD)

• Definition: The last date by which the verified gross mass (VGM) of the cargo must be submitted.
• Scope: Pertains to all shipped cargo requiring VGM documentation.
• Implication: Failure to provide VGM by this date may result in delays and additional charges.

Bill of Lading (BOL)

A legal document issued by a carrier to the shipper, detailing the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being shipped.

Container

A standardized, reusable steel box used for the storage and transportation of goods. Containers come in various sizes and types, such as dry, refrigerated, or tank containers.

Demurrage

A fee charged by the carrier when a container remains at the port or terminal beyond the allowed free time.

Freight Forwarder

A company or individual that arranges the transportation of goods on behalf of shippers and consignees, typically using a variety of carriers and modes of transport.

Intermodal Transportation

The use of multiple modes of transportation, such as rail, road, and sea, to move goods from origin to destination within a single transport chain.

Port

A harbor or coastal area where ships load and unload cargo or passengers. Ports contain the necessary infrastructure and facilities to support maritime trade and transportation.

Shipper

The individual or company responsible for arranging the transportation of goods from the point of origin to the final destination.

Terminal

A facility where cargo is loaded onto or unloaded from ships, and where containers can be stored before being transported to their final destination.

TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)

A unit of measurement used to describe the capacity of a container ship or terminal. One TEU is equivalent to the size of a standard 20-foot shipping container.

Vessel

A watercraft or ship used for the transportation of goods or passengers across bodies of water.

VRID

VRID stands for Vessel Rotation ID. In the context of ports and terminals, it is an identifier used to track the specific rotation or schedule of a vessel as it moves between ports. This ID is often used by shipping lines, port authorities, and terminal operators to manage and coordinate vessel operations, such as berth allocation, cargo loading and unloading, and other port services.

Each shipping line may have its own way of assigning and managing VRIDs, but they generally represent a unique combination of a vessel's voyage and the sequence of ports it visits. By using VRIDs, port and terminal operators can better plan and optimize their operations to accommodate the constantly changing schedules of vessels as they move between ports around the world.

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and share data with each other.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

A lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is commonly used to transmit data between a server and a web application.

REST (Representational State Transfer)

An architectural style for designing networked applications, often used in web services and APIs. RESTful APIs use HTTP methods to perform operations on resources, making it easy to build and scale applications.

Webhook

A mechanism that allows an API to provide real-time information to an application by sending an HTTP request to a specified URL when a specific event occurs.