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International Trade vocabulary · Shipping and Transport

Port of loading

Meaning in international trade, with examples

nounCore term

In international trade, port of loading means: The port where the goods are loaded onto the vessel at the start of the sea journey; shortened to POL.

In Turkish: yükleme limanı, çıkış limanı

How it is used

A standard box on bills of lading and a key detail in L/Cs and Incoterms: FOB and FAS are written with the port of loading, while CFR and CIF are written with the destination port. Shortened to POL in booking and freight emails.

Example sentences

  1. The port of loading in the L/C is Mersin, so we cannot ship from Iskenderun.

  2. Freight quote, please: port of loading Ambarli, port of discharge Valencia, one 40HC.

Common collocations

  • port of loading and discharge
  • named port of loading
  • change the port of loading
  • POL
  • port of dischargeThe port where the goods are unloaded from the vessel at the end of the sea journey; shortened to POD.
  • FOBFree On Board: an Incoterms rule in which the seller clears the goods for export and delivers them on board the ship at the named port of shipment, where the risk passes to the buyer.
  • bill of ladingA document issued by the shipping line that confirms the goods were received or loaded, sets out the terms of carriage and gives the holder the right to collect the cargo.
  • transshipmentThe unloading of goods from one ship or vehicle and reloading them onto another during the journey to the final destination.

More terms: Shipping and Transport

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