To haul a shipment back over part of a route which it has already traveled; a marine transportation carrier’s return movement of cargo, usually opposite from the direction of its primary cargo distribution.

A large, flat-bottomed boat used to carry cargo from a port to shallow-draft waterways. Barges have no locomotion and are pushed by towboats. A single, standard barge can hold 1,500 tons of cargo or as much as either 15 railroad cars or 60 trucks can carry. A barge is 200 feet long, 35 feet wide and has a draft of 9 feet. Barges carry dry bulk (grain, coal, lumber, gravel, etc.) and liquid bulk (petroleum, vegetable oils, molasses, etc.).

(verb) To bring a ship to a berth. (noun) The wharf space at which a ship docks. A wharf may have two or three berths, depending on the length of incoming ships.

A contract between a shipper and carrier listing the terms for moving freight between specified points.

The members of the governing board of a port authority are called commissioners. Members of a Board of Commissioners can be elected or appointed and usually serve for several years.

A line-securing device on a wharf around which mooring and berthing lines are fastened.

A building designated by U.S. Customs authorities for storage of goods without payment of duties to Customs until goods are removed.

Slang term for a container.

Non-containerized general cargo stored in boxes, bales, pallets or other units to be loaded onto or discharged from ships or other forms of transportation. (See also bulk and container.) Examples include iron, steel, machinery, linerboard and woodpulp.

A structure used to protect against shifting cargo and/or to separate the load.

Floats that warn of hazards such as rocks or shallow ground, to help ships maneuver through unfamiliar harbors.