H

Hague Rules
International convention for the unification of certain rules, relating to Bills of Lading (1924). These Rules include the description of responsibilities of Shipping Lines.

Hague-Visby Rules
Set of rules, published in 1968, amending the Hague Rules.

Half Height Container
An open top container, fitted with or without soft or hard cover, 4'3" in height.

Halyard
Light rope or tackle fitted to a staff, spar or gaff used for flying flags.

Hamburg Rules
United Nations Convention on the carriage of goods by sea of 1978 adopted in 1992.

Handling Instructions
Indication how cargo is to be handled.

Handling Service
Service concerning the physical handling of cargo.

Harbour
Place of shelter for vessels. Most of the time used as an indication for the geographical location.

Harbour Dues
Various local charges against all seagoing vessels entering a harbor, to cover maintenance of channel depths, buoys, lights, etc. all harbors do not necessarily have this charge.

Harbor Master
A person usually having the experience of a certificated master mariner and having a good knowledge of the characteristics of the port and its whole area. He administers the entire shipping movements that take place in and within reach of the port he is responsible for.

Hard Aground
A vessel which has gone aground and is incapable of refloating under her own power.

Hard Currency
A currency which is sound enough to be accepted internationally and which is usually fully convertible.

Harmonized System of Codes
Abbreviation: HS
An international goods classification system for describing cargo in international trade under a single commodity-coding scheme. Developed under the auspices of the World Customs Organisation in 1983, this code is a hierarchically structured product nomenclature containing approximately 5,000 headings and subheadings. It is designed for customs services, but can also be used for statistics, transport purposes, export, import and manufacturing The basic code contains four-digit headings and six-digit subheadings. Many countries add digits for Customs tariff and statistical purposes. In the United States, duty rates will be the eight-digit level; statistical suffixes will be at the ten-digit level. The Harmonized System (HS) is the current U.S. tariff schedule (TSUSA) for imports and is the basis for the ten-digit Schedule B export code.

Hatch
An opening, generally rectangular, in a ship's deck affording access into the compartment below.

Hatch Cover
Watertight means of closing the hatchway of a vessel.

Hatch Way
Opening in the deck of a vessel through which cargo is loaded into, or discharged from the hold and which is closed by means of a hatch cover.

Haulage
The inland carriage of cargo or containers between named locations/points.

Hawser
Large strong rope used for towing purposes and for securing or mooring ships. Hawsers are now mostly made of steel.

HAZ MAT
See Hazardous Material

Header Board
See Bulkhead (road cargo)

Heated Container
Thermal container served by a heat producing appliance.

Heavy Lift
Single commodity exceeding the capacity of normal loading equipment and requiring special equipment and rigging methods for handling.

Heavy Lift Charge
A charge made for lifting articles too heavy to be lifted by a ship's normal tackle.

Heavy Lift Vessel
A vessel specially designed and equipped for the carriage of heavy cargo.

Hedging
Buying or selling earlier and more than really needed in order to protect the company against price increases or shortages of commodities or components to realise profits when prices fluctuate.

Held Covered:
An agreement by underwriters to extend the terms of the insurance in specified circumstances subject to an additional premium.

Helm
A tiller or a wheel generally installed on the bridge or wheelhouse of a ship to turn the rudder during manoeuvering and navigation. It is in fact the steering wheel of the ship.

Heuristic
The process of solving problems by evaluating each step in the progress, searching for satisfactory solutions rather than optimal solutions. It comprises XE "A form of problem solving where the results are determined by ex" a form of problem solving where the results are determined by experience or intuition instead of by optimisation.

High Density Compression
Compression of a flat or standard bale of cotton to approximately 32 pounds per cubic foot. Usually applies to cotton exported or shipped coastwise.

High Seas
Maritime areas that are outside the jurisdiction of any state.

Hinterland
The inland area served by a certain port.

Hitchment Cargo
The marrying of two or more portions of one shipment that originate at different locations, moving under one bill of lading, from one shipper to one consignee. Authority for this service must be granted by tariff publication.
See Bill of Lading.

Hogged
Loading condition of a vessel in such a way that the centre of the vessel is slightly raised (arch-wise in the centre).

Hoisting Rope
Special flexible wire rope for lifting purposes, generally being of six strands with 19 wires in each strand and in most cases having a hemp rope at the center.

Hold
A general name for the spaces below the main deck designated for stowage of general cargo. A hold on a tanker is usually just forward of one (1) cargo tank. Some newer tankers have no hold.

Home Port
The port of registration of a vessel.

Hopper Barge
A barge which loads material dumped into it by a dredger and discharges the cargo through the bottom.

Hot Hatch
Sequenced on deck loading of containers to enable priority discharge at arrival port – usually required for direct discharge to vehicle to meet a Just In Time delivery.

House Address
Place of receipt respectively delivery (name and address) in case of carrier haulage.

House to House
See Door to Door.

House to House Transport
The transport of cargo from the premises of the consignor to the premises of the consignee.
Note: In the United States the term 'Point to Point Transport' is used instead of the term 'Door to Door Transport', because the term 'house' may mean 'customs house' or 'brokers house', which are usually located in the port.

House to Pier
Cargo loaded into a container by the shipper under shipper's supervision. When the cargo is exported, it is unloaded at the foreign pier destination.

Hovercraft
A vessel used for the transportation of passengers and cargo riding on a cushion of air formed under it. It is very maneuverable and is also amphibious.

Hub
The central transhipment point in a transport structure, serving a number of consignees and/or consignors by means of spokes. The stretches between hubs mutually are referred to as trunks.

Huckepack Carriage
See Piggyback

Hull
Outer shell of a vessel, made of steel plates or other suitable material to keep water outside the vessel.

Humping
The process of connecting a moving rail car with a motionless rail car within a rail classification yard in order to make up a train. The cars move by gravity from an incline or "hump" onto the appropriate track.

Husbanding
Taking care of a vessel's non cargo related operations as instructed by the master or owner of such vessel.

Hydrofoil
A craft more or less similar to the Hovercraft insofar as it flies over water and thus eliminates friction between the water and the hull. Under acceleration it rises above water but remains in contact with the surface through supporting legs.