Page 140 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

Barge: A flat-bottomed vessel used to transport cargo.
Berth: The place at a port where a ship stays for a period of time.
Bill of lading: A document that establishes an agreement between a shipper and a transportation company for the transportation of goods. Also serves as a shipping receipt.
Bollard: A thick vertical post mounted on a wharf, used for securing ropes.
Boom: A long, moveable arm used
to support or guide objects being lifted or suspended.
Boxcar: An enclosed railroad car used to carry freight, usually with sliding doors.
Break-bulk (cargo): Goods that are transported in individually counted units. Usually handled with lift trucks and transported in railcars or trucks.
Bulk (cargo): Unpackaged commodities that are shipped loosely in a vessel or hopper car. Usually handled with a front-end loader and transported in dump trucks.
Bumper post: A heavy vertical post placed as a buffer to prevent ships or vehicles from hitting a pier or building.
Containerization: A shipping method in which cargo is transported in large, standardized steel containers, usually 20 or 40 feet in length.
Custom(house) broker: An agent who clears freight documents through federal channels for shippers.
Drayage: The transport of goods by truck over short distances, such as from a ship to a warehouse.
Dredge: To remove sediments or other materials from the bottom of bodies of water.
Ferro alloy: A mixture of iron and other metals that is melted and used in making steel. Includes ferro nickel, ferro chrome and ferro manganese.
Floating crane: A heavy-duty crane mounted on a barge. Used for loading and unloading heavy items to and from ships.
Freight forwarding: Planning and coordinating for the transport of commodities.
Freighter: A vessel used mainly for carrying cargo.
General cargo: All types of cargo (break-bulk, containerized and project), except for bulk products.
Hand truck: A wheeled cart with long handles and a flat piece of metal at the bottom. Used for moving heavy objects.
Hatch: An opening in the deck of a vessel that gives access to the cargo hold (where cargo is stored).
Hopper: A funnel-shaped chamber or bin from which bulk material, like salt, can be emptied into another container slowly and evenly.
Hopper car: A railcar used for handling dry bulk cargoes, with an openable top and one or more openings on the bottom through which the cargo is discharged.
Ingot: A piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, which is cast into an oblong shape for storage or further processing.
Intercoastal: Moving freight up and down or around the coast of one country.
Intermodal: Moving freight by two or more modes of transportation, such as ship and rail.
Layberth: Refers to vessels in idle (lay-up) status at a pier, not loading or discharging cargo.
Longshoremen: Dock workers who handle cargo or perform administrative tasks associated with the loading
or unloading of cargo at piers. Longshoremen on the East Coast are often members of an International Longshoremen’s Association local.
Magnesite: A mineral used to make refractory (heat-resistant) bricks that line steel-making furnaces.
Ore: A naturally occurring rock or sediment from which a mineral of economic value can be extracted. Minerals, especially metals, are usually mined first in ore form, then refined later.
Palletized: Identical items stacked or packaged on pallets and secured with straps or wraps for efficient shipping and handling.
Port warden line: The boundary in the harbor beyond which construction of structures in the water is prohibited.
Privateers: Privately owned vessels, armed and staffed at their owners’ expense for the purpose of capturing and destroying enemy merchant craft in time of war.
Project cargo: Many units in a single shipment that are combined at a destination to make up one large unit. Examples would include crane or wind-turbine components.
Purlins: Horizontal beams used for structural support in buildings, most often below the roof.
Rebar: Steel rods with ridges used in reinforced concrete. Short for “reinforcing bar.”
Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro): A type of vessel with ramps that can be lowered to the dock so vehicles and equipment can be rolled (driven) on and off, rather than lifted.
Scowman: A person who works on a scow (flat-bottomed boat with square ends).
Shed: A roof system attached to a warehouse, usually with some open sides.
Sheet piles: Long structural sections of sheet materials with interlocking edges that are driven into the ground to retain either soil or water. Most commonly made of steel.
Ship’s gear: Cranes and equipment aboard a ship used for handling cargo.
Spar: A stout wooden or metal pole used to support the sails of a ship.
Steam donkey: Portable steam engine used in sailing ships to move cargo. Also known as a donkey engine because it replaced animal power.
Steamship agency: The local representative who acts as a liaison between ship owners and local port authorities. Attends to all matters related to the vessel and crew.
Steeplejack: A person who climbs tall structures such as steeples and chimneys to carry out repairs.
Stevedoring: Providing equipment and hiring workers to transfer cargo between ships and docks. The laborers hired by stevedoring firms are called longshoremen or stevedores.
Sulphate of ammonia: Nitrogen-rich fertilizer that is the byproduct of heating coal in industrial furnaces to form coke, which is used in steel production.
Terminal: A place where cargo is handled.
Timekeeper: A person who keeps records of the time worked by employees for payroll purposes.
(Metric) Ton: A unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms in the metric system, or 2,205 pounds.
Transit-shed: A warehouse at a terminal that sits adjacent to the pier, providing easy access to and from
a vessel. Also designed to protect cargoes from weather damage. Often used for short-term storage.
Unitized: Grouped or bundled cargo that is carried in defined load units (as opposed to loose or bulk cargo).
Urea: A nitrogen-based bulk cargo used in fertilizer and animal feed.
Warehousing: Storing goods or materials in a dedicated facility until they are delivered to their final destination.
Waybill: A document prepared by the carrier of a shipment of goods that contains details of the shipment, route and charges.
Wharf: A place where ships tie up to unload and load cargo.
132
GLOSSARY