Container operations

Not all commodities move in bulk. Bagged sugar, coffee, cocoa, metals, chemicals in drums or flexitanks, and many semi-finished goods move in containers on liner services that run to fixed schedules. The container world has its own language and its own cost traps.

TEU / FEU

Twenty-/Forty-foot Equivalent Unit — the standard container sizes and the unit ships are measured in.

FCL / LCL

Full Container Load (you fill a whole box) vs. Less than Container Load (your cargo shares a box).

Reefer

Refrigerated container for temperature-controlled cargo (cocoa, dairy, perishables).

Flexitank

A large bladder fitted inside a standard container to carry non-hazardous bulk liquids.

Transshipment

Moving a box from one ship to another at a hub port en route to its destination.