Glossary of Shipping Terms

P & IÂ
Protection and indemnity insuranceÂ

P.L. 480Â
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954.Â

P.L. 664Â
Mandates that 50 percent of government impelled cargoes be carried under U.S. flag. Known as the 50/50 shipping law.Â

PAÂ
(See Particular Average)Â

PAIRED (PORT OF ARRIVAL IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND ENFORCEMENT DETERMINATION)Â
A U.S. Customs program that allows entry documentation for an import shipment to be filed at one location, usually an inland city, while the merchandise is cleared by customs at the port of entry, normally a seaport. May be ineffective with certain types of high-risk cargoes, such as quota-regulated textiles or shipments from drug production regions. Cities where there is a natural flow of cargo are actually "paired" in the program; e.g., Atlanta, an inland city, is linked with Savannah, a seaport.Â

PANAMAXÂ
A vessel designed to be just small enough to transit the Panama CanalÂ

PAPERLESS RELEASEÂ
Under ABI, certain commodities from low-risk countries not designated for examination may be released through an ABI-certified broker without the actual submission of documentation.Â

PART CHARTERÂ
Where part of an airline's scheduled flight is sold as if it were a charter in its own right. Often incorrectly used as a synonym for split charter.Â

PARTICULAR AVERAGE (PA)Â
Partial loss or damage to goods.Â

PASSENGER SHIPÂ
A passenger ship that its authorized to carry over twelve passengers.Â

PER CONTAINER RATEÂ
Rates and/or changes on shipments transported in containers or trailers and rated on the basis of the category of the container or trailer.Â

PERILS OF THE SEAÂ
Fortuitous accidents or casualties peculiar to transportation on navigable water, such as sinking, collision of vessel, striking a submerged object, or encountering heavy weather or other unusual forces of nature.Â

PERISHABLESÂ
Any cargo that loses considerable value if it is delayed in transportation. This usually refers to fresh fruit and vegetables.Â

PERSONAL FLOATATION DEVICEÂ
Approved floats meant as life preservers and carried on board American ships.Â

PHYTOSANITARY INSPECTION CERTIFICATEÂ
A certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicating that a shipment has been inspected and is free of harmful pests and plant diseases.Â

PIGGYBACKÂ
An ocean container or trailer riding on a rail car (COFC or TOFC)Â

PIGSÂ
A railroad term for trailers loaded on flat carsÂ

PILFERAGEÂ
As used in marine insurance policies, the term denotes petty thievery-the taking of small parts of a shipment-as opposed to the theft of a whole shipment or large unit. Many ordinary marine insurance policies do not cover against pilferage, and when this coverage is desired it must be added to the policy.Â

PILOTÂ
A person who is qualified to assist the master of a ship to navigate when entering or leaving a port.Â

PILOT HOUSEÂ
The enclosed space on the navigating bridge from which a ship is controlled when under way.Â

PILOTAGEÂ
The act carried out by a pilot of assisting the master of a ship in navigation when entering or leaving a port. Sometimes used to define the fee payable for the services of a pilot.Â

PILOTAGE DUESÂ
A fee payable by the owner or operator of a ship for the services of a pilot. This fee is normally based on the ship's tonnage.Â

PIVOT WEIGHTSÂ
That weight of a ULD above which a higher tariff applies. In effect, it is an incentive to maximize cargo density.Â

PLACEÂ
A particular street address or other designation of a factory, store, warehouse, place of business, private residence, construction camp, or the like at a point.Â

PLACE OF RESTÂ
This term, as used in the Containerized Cargo Rules, means the location of the floor, dock, platform, or doorway at the CFS to which cargo is first delivered by the shipper or agent thereof.Â

PMAÂ
Pacific Maritime Association.Â

POINTÂ
A particular city, town, village, or other community or area which is treated as a unit for the application of rates.Â

POOL TRAILERSÂ
Free-running trailers owned by leasing companiesÂ

POOLINGÂ
The sharing of cargo or the profit or loss from freight by member lines of a liner conference. Pooling arrangements do not exist in all conferences.Â

PORT AUTHORITYÂ
A government body (city, county, or state) which in international shipping maintains various airports and/or ocean cargo pier facilities, transit sheds, loading equipment, or warehouses for air cargo. It has the power to levy dockage and wharfage charges, landing fees, and other costs.Â

PORT MARKSÂ
An identifying set of letters, numbers, or geometric symbols followed by the name of the port of destination that are placed on export shipments. Foreign government requirements may be exceedingly strict in the matter of port marks.Â

PORT OF DISCHARGEÂ
A port where a vessel is off-loaded and cargo discharged.Â

PORT OF ENTRYÂ
A port at which foreign goods are admitted into the receiving country.Â

PORT OF LOADINGÂ
A port where cargo is loaded aboard the vessel, lashed, and stowed.Â

PR-17Â
Public Resolution which requires that U.S. Government financed cargoes (Eximbank) must be shipped 100% in U.S. flag ships, but that the requirement may be waived up to 50% in some cases.Â

PREMISEÂ
Use penalty assessed to shippers or consignees for holding private trailers or containers at the origin or destination terminal in excess of allotted free timeÂ

PREPAID FREIGHTÂ
Generally speaking, freight charges both in ocean and air transport may be either prepaid in the currency of the country of export or they may be billed collect for payment by the consignee in his local currency. On shipments to some countries, however, freight charges must be prepaid because of foreign exchange regulations of the country of import or rules of steamship companies or airlines.Â

PRE-SLUNG CARGOÂ
Cargo shipped already in a cargo sling or net, such as coffee in bags or coconut shells. It is usually prepared and loaded at the pier, ready for the vessel's arrival and subsequent loading.Â

PRIMA FACIEÂ
A Latin term frequently encountered in foreign trade that means "on first appearance." When a steamship company issues a clean bill of lading, it acknowledges that the goods were received "in apparent good order and condition" and this is said by the courts to constitute prima facie evidence of the conditions of the containers; that is, if nothing to the contrary appears, it must be inferred that the cargo was in good condition when received by the carrier.Â

PRO NUMBERÂ
(1) A number assigned by the carrier to a single shipment, used in all cases where the shipment must be referred to. (2) The number used in identifying waybills and freight bills. Pro means progressive and agents use progressive numbers for this identificationÂ

PRODUCT CARRIERÂ
A tanker which is generally below 70,000 deadweight tons and used to carry refined oil products from the refinery to the consumer. In many cases, four different grades of oil can be handled simultaneously.Â

PRODUCTION UNITÂ
Equipped to extract petroleum, e.g. oil production ship.Â

PROFORMAÂ
When used with the title of a document, the term refers to an informal document presented in advance of the arrival or preparation of the required document, in order to satisfy a customs requirement.Â

PROOF OF DELIVERY (POD)Â
The delivery receipt copy of a freight bill indicating the name of the person who signed for a package with the date and time of delivery.Â

PROPANE CARRIERÂ
A ship designed to carry propane in liquid form. The propane is carried in tanks within the holds; it remains in liquid form by means of pressure and refrigeration. Such ships are also suitable for the carriage of butane.Â

PROPORTIONAL PRICEÂ
Price from or to an intermediate point; may be used only to construct an interline price; i.e., a combination of two pricesÂ

PROTESTÂ
U.S. Customs Form 19 allows for a refund of an overpayment of duty if filed within 90 days of liquidation.

Glossary of Shipping Terms

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Glossary of Shipping Terms