Gangway
Bridge laid from an opening in the railing or side of a vessel to the shore or to a platform with the purpose of giving access to and from the vessel.

Gantry Crane
A crane or hoisting machine mounted on a frame or structure spanning an intervening space, which often travels on rails.

Garments On Hangers
Clothes in containers on hangers and hung from rails during transit, reducing the handling required for the garments.

Gateway
1. A point at which cargo is interchanged between carriers or modes of transport.
2. A means of access, an entry.

Gen-set
Motor generator set as power source for, e.g., thermal containers.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
Abbreviation: GATT
Major international agreement on trade and tariffs between many nations all over the world. The discussions are now held by the WTO.

General Average
Abbreviation: G/A
Intentional act or sacrifice which is carried out to safeguard vessel and cargo. When a vessel is in danger, the master has the right to sacrifice property and/or to incur reasonable expenditure. Measures taken for the sole benefit of any particular interest are not considered general average.

General Average Act (York-Antwerp Rules)
There is a general average act when, and only when any extraordinary sacrifice or expenditure is intentionally and reasonably made or incurred for the common safety for the purpose of preserving from peril the property involved in a common maritime adventure.

General Average Statement
This shows in detail all general average costs and expenses and the contribution of each interest in the general average in proportion to its value.

General Cargo
1. Cargo, consisting of goods, unpacked or packed, for example in cartons, crates, bags or bales, often palletised. General cargo can be shipped either in breakbulk or containerised.
2. Any consignment other than a consignment containing valuable cargo and charged for transport at general cargo rates (air cargo).

General Cargo Rate
Abbreviation: GCR
The rate for the carriage of cargo other than a class rate or specific commodity rate (air cargo).

General Purpose Container
A container used for the carriage of general cargo without any special requirements for the transport and or the conditioning of the goods.

Germanischer Lloyd
German classification society.

Godown
A warehouse or cargo shed. This term is often used in the Far East.

Go to top

Goods
1. Common term indicating movable property, merchandise or wares.
2. All materials which can be used to satisfy demands.
3. Whole or part of the cargo received from the shipper, including any equipment supplied by the shipper.

Goods Control Certificate
Document issued by a competent body evidencing the quality of goods described therein, in accordance with national or international standards, or conforming to legislation in the importing country, or as specified in the contract.

Goods Flow
The direction and path of the movement of goods and sequence of placement of those goods in a supply chain.

Goods Item
A separate identifiable quantity of products or articles of a single type.

Goods Receipt
Document issued by a port, warehouse, shed, or terminal operator acknowledging receipt of goods specified therein on conditions stated or referred to in the document.

Goods in Transit
The goods which have departed from the initial loading point and not yet arrived at the final unloading point.

Gooseneck
1. Gooseneck shaped front end of a trailer or chassis.
2. Recess front bottom of a container to reduce the total height of the chassis plus container.

Green Equipment Availability
The availability of environmentally friendly equipment for transport.

Grid Number
An indication of the position of a container in a bay plan by means of a combination of page number, column and line. The page number often represents the bay number.

Gross Manifest
A manifest containing freight details without any appropriate disbursements.

Gross Tonnage
Abbreviation: GRT
The measure of the overall size of a vessel determined in accordance with the provisions of the international convention on measurement of vessels usually expressed in register ton.

Gross Weight
1. Weight (mass) of goods including packing, but excluding the carrier's equipment expressed in whole kilograms.
2. The weight of a shipment including materials necessary for blocking etc. (air cargo).

Gross Weight of Container
Total weight of container including cargo (in kilograms).

Groundage
Charge for permission to anchor.

Groupage
The collection of several small consignments and the formation of one large shipment thereof (road cargo).

Groupage Centre
A location where groupage activities take place (road-cargo).

Guarantee for customs
An enforceable legal instrument with which a customs administration can recover duties and taxes which become payable in the event of irregularities during a transit movement.

Go to top