Project Ⅱ Task 4 modes of transport （ 1 ）

Learning Objectives To understand different modes of transport To understand basic concepts of ocean transport To get hold of the transport clauses in the sales contract To master the shipping documents, especially the ocean bill of lading To understand basic concepts of container transport

International Cargo Transportation In the case of foreign business transaction, the exporter and the importer are usually far apart and the goods under the contract have to go a long distance and sometimes change several carriers in transit before they reach the destination. It is very hard or even impossible for the exporter in one country to hand over the goods directly to the importer in another country. For this reason, transportation is fundamental in the fulfillment of the contract. It helps the seller to deliver the goods to the buyer abroad. Now here, as some of the previous chapters have chiefly introduced how to make preparation for export goods before transport, it is the time to introduce how does the exporter deliver or ship the contracted cargoes according to the time, place and modes of delivery or shipment agreed in the contract.

Contents Section 1 Modes of Transport Section 2 Ocean Shipping Section 3 Container Transport Exercises

In practice, there are several distinct forms of transportation in the freight system called modes. The modes differ in terms of operating capacity, speed and cost. The five major modes are water, rail, truck, and air. Each of them has its advantage and disadvantage. And all the modes play important roles in the overall transportation system. Section 1 pipeline pipeline n. 管道 comparative advantage 比较优势 comparative

Ocean transport is the most widely used mode of transportation in international trade, with its easy passage, large capacity and low cost. But, on the other side, it is slow, to bad weather and less compared with road or air transport. Therefore, it is suitable for large items, bulk cargoes and items that do not require fast delivery, such as grain, ore and coal. (See Section 2 Ocean Shipping for more details) Section 1 vulnerable I. Ocean transport (also called sea transport or ocean freight) vulnerable a. 易受伤的, 易损的, 脆弱的 punctual a. 准时的, 守时的 punctual

Rail transport is second to the ocean transport in terms of capacity. It is capable of achieving high speed and is rather economical especially if it provides a complete trainload for one shipper. Moreover, it is less to the by poor weather. But, as it is confined to railroads, railway is less flexible than road. Rail transport is often used in the overland movement of ocean transport containers and bulk cargo, such as between the East and West Coast ports of the U.S.A. Rail consignment note serves as the contract of carriage between the railway and the consignor, evidencing the receipt of the goods and the date of acceptance for carriage by the carrier. Section 1 II. Rail transport prone prone a. 倾向于 interruption n. 中断, 打断 interruption

Road transport is commonly used between countries connected by roads, for example, in the delivery of export goods between mainland European countries and between Northern American countries. It is a low capacity but very versatile unit of transport, very flexible in its operation. It is an expert in offering a door-to-door service. With a transit distance up to 1,000 kilometers, road transport is more competitive than rail and air transport. But besides the limited capacity, road transport has relatively high operating cost because of a high risk of pilferage and damage throughout the transit. In this way, road transport is ideal for general merchandise and selective bulk cargoes in small quantities. Road consignment note serves as the transport document required. Section 1 III. Road transport

Generally, inland waterway transport is linked to the seaport and is often considered as a feeder to the ocean transport. It has the advantage of low cost, and is suitable for general commodities and bulk shipment of timber, coal, oil and so on. But, compared with road or rail, the transit by inland waterway is rather slow. Section 1 IV. Inland waterway transport

Air transport is considered to be the youngest form of transportation and develops with a high speed. Its advantages are quick transit, low risk of damage and pilferage with very competitive insurance rate, saving in packing cost, reducing amount of capital tied up in transit. However, the disadvantages are the limitations in the capacity of an aircraft and overall of the cargoes with weight restrictions, and also the high price for operation. For these reasons, air transport is usually used for consumer cargoes such as fresh flowers and fruits which easily, fashionable articles that have a short selling period, seasonal products or merchand- ises of high value and low volume. The related transport document is airway bill. Section 1 V. Air transport dimension n. 尺寸, 尺度 dimensions deteriorate v. 恶化, 变质 deteriorate