It enables companies to access foreign markets, source materials efficiently, and meet the demands of consumers worldwide, driving economic growth and development on a global scale. Beyond its economic significance, shipping also influences geopolitical dynamics, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange.

IHC stands for Inland Haulage Charges and refers to the transportation charge incurred due to transportation of containers from inland container freight station to the port of loading and vice versa. When the port of loading is away from the cargo freight station, the shipper has to make arrangements for moving the cargo from the freight station to the port either by road or rail. In this case, custom formalities are completed at the freight station.
If the goods are moved by rail, then Inland Haulage Charges refer to the charge of transporting goods from such location to the concerned seaport. IHC is collected by the shipping line when it generates the bill of lading for export shipments. In case of import orders, it’s released at the time of issuing a delivery order.

An ocean carrier that moves cargo under its own House Bill of Lading or an equivalent document and does not operate the vessels by which ocean transportation is provided is called a Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC).

Port free days refers to the number of days for which a port allows the importer to keep the containers in the port area for free. Once the limit of port free days is exceeded, the port storage charges published in the port tariff are applied.
On the other hand, line-free days is the number of days the shipping line gives to the customer to pick up a full container, take it to their facility for unpacking and return the empty container to the concerned shipping line. After the line free days, the shipping line imposes a charge for every extra day taken by the customer to return the container.