INTRODUCTION TO CARGO
MANAGEMENT
Course Code: TTA332
Module 1
Prepared by
Dr. Shalki
Department of Management & Social Sciences
Amity University Tashkent, Uzbekistan
info@[Link]
HISTORY OF CARGO
4000 BC - Animals as transportation (horses, mules, buffaloes, cows, etc.)
3500 BC - Wheel was invented in Mesopotamia
770 BC - Animal drawn wagons like bullock carts, horse and mule carriages as easier
mode
of shipping.
1787 - The first steamboat model demonstrated by John Fitch, prior to this flatboats or
rafts were used.
1807 - A plan for roads and canals is put in motion.
1820s - Railroad systems peak and by the end of the century
1832 - Matthias Baldwin builds the first locomotive, Old Ironsides with a train
attached to it was fast for its time. The Baldwin family continued to design trains for
decades.
1863 - Construction of a railway to connect the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean started.
1869 - The Transcontinental Railroad brought the Union Pacific Railroad and the
Central Pacific Railroad together. Business owners were relieved to use trains for their
dependability and speed in comparison to horse drawn wagons.
1887 - Transportation companies regulated in order to stop railroads from charging
unfair freight rates and to protect companies from unfair competition. The “Interstate
Commerce Act” required that railroad rates be reasonable.
Early 1900s - Cars become popular in cities, but only the wealthy could afford them. At
this time, cities began paving their roads.
December 17, 1903- Orville and Wilbur Wright (The Wright Brothers) flew their
airplane for the first time.
1911- World’s first official flight to carry “air mail” occurred in the United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh in British-ruled India (to showcase aviation in an exhibition by Sir Walter Windham).
- The first air mail flight was flown by Henri Pequet from Allahabad to Naini (the nearest station
on the Bombay-Calcutta rail line) the airplane completed the trip in 13 minutes.
- The first scheduled air mail was flown between the London suburb of Hendon and the
Postmaster General’s office in Windsor, Berkshire recommended by Sir Windham.
1935 - The Motor Carrier Act passes, this act set freight-hauling rate regulations.
1956 - Eisenhower passes the Interstate Highway System into law, creating National System of
Interstate and Defense Highways enabled larger trucks to carry more freight on faster schedules.
SILK ROUTE
- A historic trade route that dated from the 2nd century B.C. until the 14th century A.D. It
stretched from Asia to the Mediterranean, traversing China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and
Italy.
- It was named the Silk Route because of the heavy silk trading that took place during that
period. This fabric originated in China, which initially had a monopoly on silk production.
- In addition to silk, the route facilitated the trade of other fabrics, spices, grains, fruits and
vegetables, animal hides, wood and metal work, precious stones, and other items of value
In 2013, China announced plans of reviving the Silk Route, connecting it with more than
60 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Silk Road Milestones - Ancient Milestones in Central Asia and
on the Eastern Silk Road
● 529 BCE Cyrus the Great reached Samarkand (then Maracanda) and was killed ● 121 BCE (approx.) The Jade Gate was established 50 miles to the northwest of
in battle by the empress Tomyris, leader of a tribal confederation called the Dunhuang to mark the westernmost border of China. It was so called because camel
Massegetae, a little further east, near the banks of the Syr Darya River, where caravans carrying jade entered China there. The Great Wall was then extended to
Alexandria Eschate was established 200 years later. Dunhuang. This was still the Chinese border in Xuanzang’s time.
● 516 BCE Darius, descendant of Cyrus, invaded Central Asia and gained control ● 114 BCE As a result of Zhang Qian’s reports, Turfan, Khotan, Kashgar and other cities
of areas stretching from regions from Samarkand south thru what is now Karachi, of the Tarim Basin were gradually brought under Chinese control. While control of the area
including northern Afghanistan and Pakistan changed hands many times in later centuries, this area is now China’s Sinkiang Province.
● 329 BCE Alexander also reached Samarkand and established Alexandria ● 106 BCE Diplomatic ties are established between the Chinese and the Parthian
Eschate, later known as Khujand; Alexander and his Greek successors established (Persian) Empire (247 BCE – 224 CE), which prevented China from having direct contact
several states and empires in Central and South Asia which survived for more than with the Roman Empire.
300 years ● 100 BCE (approx.) Chinese silk is reported to have arrived in Rome for the first time
● The sections of Asia conquered by Cyrus, Darius and Alexander cover what might (though silk was found in a mummy’s tomb in Egypt dated to 1,000 BCE).
be called the western, or Persian-oriented, segments of the Silk Road network. The ● 53 BCE Roman emperor Crassus was killed and defeated by Parthians at the Battle of
eastern, or Chinese, portion of the network began just east of Samarkand and the Carrhae. The Roman legions are said to have been fascinated by the brilliant red silk war
mountain ranges that divide eastern and western Central Asia. banners of the Parthians. 10,000 Roman soldiers were transported to Central Asia to serve
● 250 BCE (approx.) Some time after Alexander’s campaigns in India, Greeks as slaves or mercenaries.
who settled in northern India and Afghanistan began to adopt Buddhism, or a form ● 97 CE Envoy Gan Ying travels as far as the Persian Gulf, unsuccessful in the
of Buddhism mixed with belief in the Hellenic gods. (In the ancient world, seemingly mission to visit Rome assigned to him by the Chinese emperor; Parthian officials
conflicting belief in more than one religion was not unusual.) persuaded him to return to China because reaching Rome might take him another two
● 247 BCE The Parthian (Persian) Empire (247 BCE – 224 CE) was a rival of the years.
Romans, controlling land routes to Central Asia and preventing direct contact ● 100 CE Buddhism arrived in China sometime in the 1st or 2nd century CE, making its
between China and Rome. The Parthians taxed trade thru the empire, but did not way east from India via Samarkand.
● 366 CE The first of the Mogao Caves are created. Hundreds more caves were created
prevent Roman ships from sailing the Indian Ocean.
● 206 BCE The Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) is established, its emperor ruling in subsequent centuries.
● 522 CE Byzantine merchants managed to acquire silk worms in the East, bringing
all China. The Han were the first Chinese rulers to take interest in the West.
● them West and ending the Chinese monopoly on silk.
138 BCE Envoy Zhang Qian travelled throughout Central Asia for 12 years,
● 570 CE The birth of Muhammad.
having been assigned by the Chinese emperor to explore the “Western Regions,”
● 629 CE Xuanzang begins his 16-year journey to Central Asia (the "Western Regions”)
which were largely unknown by China. Wikipedia says that “Zhang Qian probably
and India.
witnessed the last period of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.” He returned with detailed
● 709 CE Arab Muslims capture Samarkand.
reports about the cities, empires and armies he encountered in areas from
● 713 CE The Arabs sack Kashgar. Arabs, Persians, Turks, Greeks, Tibetans, Mongols,
Samarkand to Bamiyan and south into India. Among the 99 Chinese who began the
and other nomadic conquerors had vied with China and each other for control of the Tarim
mission, only Zhang Qian and one other survived to return to China.
Basim and points west for 1,000 years.
TERMS USED IN CARGO HANDLING
Apron- the area immediately in front of or behind a wharf shed on which cargo is lifted.
Berth- the part of the pier/wharf that is occupied by a vessel, or any place in which a vessel
may lie at anchor or at a dock.
Bollard- means a strong post on a ship or dock for holding a hawser fast.
Bow- means the extreme forward end of a vessel.
Buoy- means floating object moored to the bottom to mark a channel, anchor, shoal, rock,
etc.
Channel- means a natural or artificial waterway of perceptible extend which either
periodically or continuously contains moving water or which forms a connecting link between
two bodies of water; or part of a body of water deep enough to be used for navigation through
the area otherwise too low for navigation.
Chassis -means equipment used to carry containers from one place to another under the tow
by prime movers or tractors as an extension of ship’s gear unless declared as an importation.
Container Berth- means berthing space especially designed and constructed to
accommodate containership.
Container Freight Station- means normally a warehouse or a transit shed adjacent to the
Container Yard (CY) used for sorting and storage of container cargo both for import and
export.
Container Tally sheet- cargo receipt issued by the ship’s checker or agent and acknowledge
by the arrastre checker as evidence of receipt of the containers. It also indicates the physical
condition of the container.
Containerized/ Container Cargo- Cargo stuffed inside a container van with the external
dimensions and ratings enumerated in series 1 of ISO 668-1976 which are specially designed
to facilitate ready handling particularly their transfer from one mode of transport to another
without intermediate reloading.
Dangerous Cargo- cargo, on which account of their nature, cannot be stowed in general
cargo space nor handled at the same time as innocuous cargo as they may expose people
and property to harm or destruction by fire, explosion, poisoning and similar danger.
Deck- a platform or roof over which a section of ship holds, serving as a floor.
Dock- includes locks, cuts, entrances, graving docks, inclined planes, slipways, quays, and
other works and things appertaining to any dock.
Dolphin- means a buoy or spar used in mooring a boat.
Draft- means the depth/level of the vessel below the water line, measured vertically from this
water line to the lowest part of the hull.
Dry-dock- means a dock from which the water can be temporarily excluded, in order to effect
repairs to hulls and kneels of ships or vessels.
Dunnage- Loose packing or any bulky material put around or under cargo for protection to
prevent it from mobbing or being damaged.
Fairway- part of a waterway kept open and unobstructed for navigation.
Full Container Load- means a container loaded with cargoes belonging to a single
consignee and/ or covered by only one bill of loading.
Gang- a group of cargo workers employed to work on board a ship or ashore for loading and
unloading of cargoes to or from the ship or vise-versa.
General Cargo- Cargo listed in a numbers of bills of lading, each consisting of different
commodities. These include, but not limited to bagged cargo, crates, cylinders, cases,
baskets, bales, rolls, drums and other similar types of packing, including vehicles, live
animals, crated or uncrated livestock and other types of loose cargo.
Harbor- means a protected part of a sea, lake or other body of water used by vessels as a
place of safety.
Hatch- an opening in ship’s deck through which cargo can be lowered.
Lash Barge- a barge or lighter, which for all intents and purpose, is an extension of the ship’s
equipment or gears and used purely in such ship’s cargo operations.
Latrine- means a toilet, or privy for the use of many people.
Liquid Bulk Cargo- Shall include, but shall not be limited to, diesel oil, bunker oil, natural
coconut oil, gasoline, alcohol, molasses and other similar liquid products that are loaded in
bulk.
Moor- means to secure a vessel alongside the berth by means of mooring ropes.
Quay- A landing place or prier, usually of solid construction, where vessels berth to load or
unload cargo. Also used for the temporary or short-term storage of goods in transit, or to be
shipped or discharge from a vessel.
Rigging- the fitting of a ship’s sails or shrouds to the mast or yard.
Stand-by-time- After the first hour of vessel operations, the time when workers are engaged
to work but cannot. Stand by charges are paid by the shipping company/agent.
WORLD FAMOUS SEA CARGO ROUTE
1. The English Channel (between the UK and France) - The busiest sea route in the world, it connects the North Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean. More than 500 ships pass through this channel daily. It also has the world’s busiest shipping lane: The Dover’s
Strait.
2. The Strait of Malacca (near Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) - The shortest route between the Pacific and the Indian ocean. It
links major Asian trade hubs like India, Malaysia, Singapore, China, etc. More than 83,000 vessels use this route annually. Almost
40% of the world traffic passes through this strait.
3. The Panama Canal (in the US) - An artificial seaway, this was designed to reduce transit time between the Pacific and Atlantic
ocean. It shortens the voyage by ~8,000 miles and cuts the 67-day transit time to just 10 hours. Close to 14,000 vessels use the
route every year.
4. The Suez Canal (near Egypt) - The shortest sea route between the Atlantic and Indian ocean via the Red Sea. This canal cuts the 24-day transit
time to just 16 hours. It is one of the most heavily used ocean lanes, with more than 100 ship passes daily. The canal is so narrow that it cannot regulate
two-way traffic, and the wait-time of vessels can be up to a week.
5. The Danish Straits (Denmark, Germany & Sweden) - They link the North Sea and Baltic Sea and comprises 3 channels: the Oresund,
WORLD FAMOUS AIR CARGO ROUTES
(with the help of map locations)
BUSSIEST CARGO PORT ACROSS THE GLOBE