Shipping terms and Chartering glossary: 'D'

Term Meaning
Dangerous Goods Articles or substances capable of posing a significant risk to health, safety, or property, and that ordinarily require special attention when transported.
Documents Against Acceptance D/A. Instructions given by a shipper to a bank indicating that documents transferring title to goods should be delivered to the buyer only upon the buyer's acceptance of the attached draft.
Documents Against Payment D/P. An indication on a draft that the documents attached are to be released to the drawee only on payment.
Declared Value for Carriage The value of the goods, declared by the shipper on a bill of lading, for the purpose of determining a freight rate or the limit of the carrier's liability.
Deconsolidator An enterprise that provides services to un-group shipments, orders, goods, etc., to facilitate distribution.
Deferred Rebate The return of a portion of the freight charges by a carrier or a conference shipper in exchange for the shipper giving all or most of his shipments to the carrier or conference over a specified period of time (usually six months). Payment of the rate is deferred for a further similar period, during which the shipper must continue to give all or most of his shipments to the rebating carrier or conference. The shipper thus earns a further rebate that will not, however, be paid without an additional period of exclusive or almost exclusive patronage with the carrier of conference. In this way, the shipper becomes tied to the rebating carrier or conference. Although the deferred rebate system is illegal in U.S. foreign commerce, it generally is accepted in the ocean trade between other countries.
Delivery Instructions A document issued to a carrier to pick up goods at a location and deliver them to another location.
Delivery Order A document issued by the customs broker to the ocean carrier as authority to release the cargo to the appropriate party.
Demurrage The penalty for exceeding free time allowed for loading/unloading under the terms of the agreement with the carrier. Demurrage is the term used in the rail and ocean industry; detention is used in the motor industry.
Density A physical characteristic measuring a commodity's mass per unit volume or pounds per cubic foot; an important factor in ratemaking, since density affects the utilization of a carrier's vehicle.
Density rate A rate based upon the density and shipment weight.
Detention The penalty for exceeding free time allowed for loading/unloading under the terms of the agreement with the carrier. Detention is the term used in the motor industry; demurrage is used in the rail and ocean industry.
Devanning The unloading of cargo from a container or other piece of equipment.