Abbreviation

Earrings

Small lines, by which the uppermost corners of the largest sails are secured to the yardarms.

Echo Sounding

Measuring the depth of the water using a sonar device. Also see sounding and swinging the lead.

Edge Protector

An angle piece fitting over the edge of boxes, crates, bundles and other packages to prevent the pressure from metal bands or other types from cutting into the package.

Electronic data interchange
(EDI)

The transfer of structured data, by agreed standards from applications on the computer of one party to the applications on the computer of another party by electronic means.

Electronic data interchange (1)
(XML/EDI)

The exchange of structured information over the Internet using XML as the syntax.

Electronic data processing
(EDP)

The computerised handling of information (e.g. business data).

Elevating

A charge for services performed in connection with floating elevators.

Elkins Act

An act of U.S. Congress (1903) prohibiting rebates, concession, mis-billing, etc. and providing specific penalties for such violations.

Embayed

The condition where a sailing vessel is confined between two capes or headlands by a wind blowing directly onshore.

Empty (container)
(MTY)

Empty (container)

Empty Leg

The portion of a transport route when a vessel or a container is empty.

Empty Repositioning

The movement of empty containers from depots of low demand (or low revenue) to depots of high demand at the cost of the carrier.

Empty Slot

An available loading position on a stack car created when a container is not loaded to an available position. Also known as a vacant slot.

Engine Order Telegraph
(EOT)

An engine order telegraph or E.O.T., often also known as a chadburn, is a communications device used on a ship or submarine for the pilot on the bridge to order engineers in the engine room to power the vessel at a certain desired speed.

In early vessels

Ensign

1. Flag declaring a ship's country of registry.

2. Commissioned officer, lowest rank.

Entry

A Customs document required to clear an import shipment for entry into the general commerce of a country.

Entry summary declaration
(ENS)

An ENS is an electronic declaration of goods being carried into the customs territory of the community.

Equalization

A monetary allowance to the customer for picking up or delivering at a point other than the destination shown on the bill of lading. This provision is covered by tariff publication.

Equipment

Material resources necessary to facilitate the transport and handling of cargo. Transport equipment does, under the given circumstances, not have the ability to move by its own propulsion (e.g. sea container, trailer, unit load device, pallet).

Equipment Damage Report
(EDR)

A written statement concerning damage to equipment, based on a physical inspection.

Equipment Interchange Receipt
(EIR)

A document transferring the responsibility of a container from one party to another; to be signed off by both parties. A new document is necessary at each stop where there is such a transfer of responsibility.

Estimated time of arrival
(ETA)

Liner schedules publish ETD and ETA since they cannot be held responsible for lateness due to bad weather conditions.

Estimated time of availability
(ETA)

That time when a tractor/partner carrier is available for dispatch.

Estimated time of departure

The expected date and time when a certain port is left.

Estimeated time of completion, departure, readiness, or sailing
(ETC, D, R, S)

Estimeated time of completion, departure, readiness, or sailing

Ethylene

A gas produced by many fruits and vegetables that accelerates the ripening and aging process.

Euro €

European Currency Unit (old E.C.U.). Its value, revised every five years, is determined according to the economic size of each EU member (ex Common Market) and using the exchange rate of each member currency.

Eurodollars

U.S. dollars on deposit outside of the United States to include dollars on deposit at foreign branches of U.S. banks, and dollars on deposit with foreign banks.

Ex

Signifies that the quoted price applies only at the indicated point of origin (e.g. "price ex factory" means that the quoted price is for the goods available at the factory gate of the seller).

Ex Dec

USA-only: Shipper's Export Declaration.

Except as otherwise noted
(EAON)

Except as otherwise noted

Exception

Notations made when the cargo is received at the carrier's terminal or loaded aboard a vessel. They show any irregularities in packaging or actual or suspected damage to the cargo. Exceptions are then noted on the bill of lading.

Exchange Rate

The price of one currency in terms of another; i.e., the number of units of one currency that may be exchanged for one unit of another currency.

EXIM Bank

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is the official export credit agency of the United States federal government. It was established in 1934 by an executive order, and made an independent agency in the Executive branch by Congress in 1945, for the purposes of financing and insuring foreign purchases of United States goods for customers unable or unwilling to accept credit risk.

Export

The shipment of goods outside one's own country to a foreign country.

Export License

A government document which permits the "License" to engage in the export of designated goods to certain destinations.

Export Rate

A rate published on traffic moving from an interior point to a port for transhipment to a foreign country.

Exporter

The seller of the goods being transported.

Export-Management Company

A private firm that serves as the export department for several manufacturers, soliciting and transacting export business on behalf of its clients in return for a commission, salary, or retainer plus commission.

Express

A premium-rated service for urgent deliveries.

Extensible mark-up language
(XML)

Extensible mark-up language is an official recommendation by the World Wide Web Consortium as a successor of HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up language). It can be used to convey documents layout and contents from one computer application to another. XML is a subset of SGML.

Extra heavy
(X Heavy)

Extra heavy

Extra strong
(X Strong)

Extra strong

Extremis

(Also known as in extremis). The point under International Rules of the Road (Navigation Rules) at which the privileged (or stand-on) vessel on collision course with a burdened (or give-way) vessel determines it must manoeuvre to avoid a collision. Prior to extremis

Ex-works
(EX. W.)

An incoterm from the ICC. Abbreviation for Ex- works, meaning the seller delivers to the buyer at the seller's named premises.

Ex-Works (1)

Incoterm of sale meaning the seller delivers to the buyer at the seller's named premises (the "works").