M

Machinery Damage Co-insurance:
A clause in a hull policy which applies a 10 percent deductible to claims for damage to ship's machinery which is attributable to negligence on the part of the master, officers or crew. This deductible is applied to the net claim after applying any other deductible expressed in the policy.

Made Good
The sums paid to a general average fund to make good losses incurred by the general average act.

Maiden Trip
First voyage of a vessel or aircraft after delivery from new-building to her owner(s).

Main Carriage
The primary stage in the movement of cargo from the point of origin to the intended final destination.
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Main Deck
The main continuous deck of a ship running from fore to aft; the principle deck; the deck from which the freeboard is determined.

Main-line Operator
Abbreviation: MLO
A carrier employing vessel(s) in the main or principal routes in a trade but not participating within a consortium.

Maintenance Chain
A sequence of events in a goods flow which preserves and/or restores the value of a specific good. This may include repairs.

Malpractice
A carrier giving a customer illegal preference to attract cargo. This can take the form of a money refund (rebate); using lower figures than actual for the assessment of freight charges (undercubing); misdeclaration of the commodity shipped to allow the assessment of a lower tariff rate; waiving published tariff charges for demurrage, CFS handling or equalization; providing specialized equipment to a shipper to the detriment of other shippers, etc.

Manifest
Document, containing a full list of the ship's cargo, extracted from the bills of lading. which lists the specifications of goods, loaded in a means of transport or equipment for transportation purposes. As a rule cargo the agents in the place of loading draw up manifests. Used principally for Customs purposes.

Manning Scales
The minimum number of officers and crew members that can be engaged on a ship to be considered as sufficient hands with practical ability to meet every possible eventuality at sea.

Manufacturers Plate
A plate indicating the name and address of the container manufacturer and particulars of the container.

Manufacturing Process
The producing of goods or wares by manual labour or machinery, often on a large scale and with division of labour.

Manufacturing Resource Planning
Abbreviation: MRP-II
A method for the effective planning of a manufacturing company, being a direct out-growth and extension of MRP-I.

Marine Insurance Policy
Broadly, insurance covering loss or damage of goods at sea. Marine insurance typically compensates the owner of merchandise for losses sustained from e.g. fire, shipwreck, but excludes losses that can be recovered from the carrier.

Maritime
Business pertaining to commerce or navigation transacted upon the sea or in seaports in such matters as the court of admiralty has jurisdiction.

Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development.
Abbreviation: MIRAID

Maritime Lien
A claim which attaches to the res, i.e., the ship,. freight, or cargo.

Maritime Lien
The claim a master and crew has on the vessel for the payment of wages due.

Maritime Subsidy Board
Abbreviation : MSB
A branch within the Maritime Administration which deals with Operating Differential Subsidy and Construction Differential Subsidy.

Market Analysis
Systematic investigation of the growth and the composition of a market.

Market Capacity:
The maximum amount an insured market can absorb as liability to its policy holders while maintaining a proper solvency margin.

Marketing
The process of organising and directing all the company activities which relate to determining the market demand and converting the customers buying power into an effective demand for a service and bringing that service to the customer.

Marking
Letters, numbers, and other symbols placed on cargo packages to facilitate identification. Also known as marks.

Marks
See Shipping Marks

Marlinespike
A pointed metal spike, used to separate strands of rope in splicing.

MARPOL 73/78
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978.

Master Data
The set of data that is needed to establish sufficient reference material to support the maximum use of pre-coded, pre-agreed information enabling more efficient transaction messaging.

Master Container Freight Station
Abbreviation : MCFS
See CFS.

Masthead Light
A white light positioned over the fore and aft centerline of the vessel.

Master Production Schedule
Abbreviation: MPS
A realistic, detailed, manufacturing plan for which all possible demands upon the manufacturing facilities (such as available personnel, working hours, (management) policy and goals) have been considered and are visualised. The MPS is a statement of what the company expects to produce and purchase expressed in selected items, specific quantities and dates.

Mate's Receipt
A document signed by the chief officer of a vessel acknowledging the receipt of a certain consignment on board of that vessel. On this document, remarks can be made as to the order and condition of the consignment.

Material Circumstance:
Any circumstance that would affect a prudent underwriter in deciding whether or not to accept an insurance contract and in assessing the correct premium to charge.

Material Requirements Planning
Abbreviation: MRP-I
An inventory and purchasing planning system that integrates product components, lead times and deadlines.

Materials Handling
The activities of loading, unloading, placing and manipulating material and of in-process movement.

Materials Management
The planning and control of the activities related to the materials flow from the suppliers up to the end of the conversion/production process.

MBM
1,000 board feet. One MBM equals 2,265 C.M.

MCFS
See CFS

Means of Transport
Type of vehicle used for the transport of goods (e.g. aircraft, barge, truck, vessel or train).

Measurement Cargo
Freight on which transportation charges are calculated on the basis of volume measurement.

Measurement Ton
40 cubic feet.

Measurement Ton
A ton of one cubic metre water.

Mechanically Ventilated Container
A container fitted with a means of forced air ventilation.

Mechanics Lien
The legal enforceable claim, which a person who has performed work or provided materials is, permitted to make against title to the property or as a preferential person in the event the estate or business is liquidated.

Medical First Aid Guide
Abbreviation: MFAG
Instructions to be consulted in case of accidents involving dangerous goods.

Memo Bill
See Service Bill of Lading

Memorandum:
A condition expressed at the foot of the S.G policy form applying an F.P.A. warranty to certain specified cargoes and a franchise to particular average claims for other interest. In modern practice it applies only to cargo policies.

Memorandum Bill of Lading
An in-house bill of lading. A duplicate copy.

Memorandum Freight Bill
See Multiple Containerload Shipment.

Merchant
For cargo carried under the terms and conditions of the Carrier's Bill of Lading and of a tariff, it means any trader or persons (e.g. Shipper, Consignee) and including anyone acting on their behalf, owning or entitled to possession of the goods.

Merchant Haulage
Inland transport of cargo in containers arranged by the Merchant. It includes empty container-moves to and from hand-over points in respect of containers released by the Carrier to Merchants.
Note: Carrier's responsibility under the Bill of Lading does not include the inland transport stretch under Merchant Haulage.

Meta-centric Height
The distance between the centre of gravity of a vessel and a fictitious point. If the metra- centric height is zero or negative, the vessel will heel or capsize.

Metric Tons
Abbreviation : MT
Measurement of weight equal to 2,250 lbs or 2204.6 0r 1000 kgs.

Microbridge
A cargo movement in which the water carrier provides a through service between an inland point and the port of load/discharge. The carrier is responsible for cargo and costs from origin on to destination. Also known as IPI or Through Service.

Mile
A unit equal to 5,280 feet on land. A nautical mile is 6076.115.

Mini Land bridge
Abbreviation : MLB
An intermodal system for transporting containers by ocean and then by rail or motor to a port previously served as an all water move (e.g., Hong Kong to New York over Seattle).

Minimum Bill of Lading
A clause in a Bill of lading which specifies the least charge that the carrier will make for issuing a lading. The charge may be a definite sum or the current charge per ton for any specified quantity.

Minimum Charge
The lowest amount which applies to the transport of a consignment, irrespective of weight or volume.

Minimum Inventory
The planned minimum allowable inventory for an independent demand item.

Minor Unit
Unit of recorded value (i.e. as recorded by banks) which is a division of the respective unit of currency. Examples are the cent being a one hundredth part of the US Dollar.
Note: Some countries have minor units that are used in low-value coinage within a country or locality, but which are not used by the international banking system in making formal records of value. Examples: Belgium, Greece and Spain.

Missing Ship:
A ship is deemed to be "missing" when, following extensive enquires, she is officially posted as "missing" at Lloyd's. She is then considered to be an "actual total loss" and policy claims for both hull and cargo are settled on that basis.

Mixed Consignment
A consignment of different commodities, articles or goods, packed or tied together or contained in separate packages.

Mixed Container Load
A containerload of different articles in a single consignment.

Mixed Shipment
A shipment consisting of more than one commodity, articles described under more than one class or commodity rate item in a tariff.

MLB
See Mini Landbridge

Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit.
Abbreviation : MODU

Mode of Transport
Method of transport used for the conveyance of goods, (e.g. by rail, by road, by sea).

Model
A representation of a process or system that attempts to relate the most important variables in the system in such a way that analysis of the model leads to insights into the system.

Modified Atmosphere
A blend of gases tailored to replace the normal atmosphere within a container.

Module
A separate and distinct unit of hardware or software that may be used as a component in a system.

Mooring Line
A cable or line to tie up a ship.

Movement
The act or process of changing the position of an object and or people.

Movement Inventory
The inventory during a production process caused by the time required to move goods from one place to another.

MT
See Metric Ton

Mud

Multi Purpose Carrier
See Multi Purpose Vessel

Multi Purpose Vessel
Any ship capable of carrying different types of cargo which require different methods of handling. There are several types of ships falling into this category, for example, ships which can carry roll on/roll off cargo together with containers.
See Multipurpose Ship

Multimodal
Synonymous for all practical purposes with "Intermodal."

Multimodal Transport
The carriage of goods (containers) by at least two different modes of transport.

Multimodal Transport Document
See Combined Transport Document

Multimodal Transport Operator/Carrier
Abbreviation: MTO/Carrier
The person on whose behalf the transport document or any document evidencing a contract of multimodal carriage of goods is issued and who is responsible for the carriage of goods pursuant to the contract of carriage.

Multiple Sourcing
Selecting of and working with more than two equivalent suppliers for a certain product.

Multi Tank Container
A container frame fitted to accommodate two or more separate tanks for liquids.