Common Terms in Multimodal Transport
- Mode of Transport is the method of transport used for the conveyance of goods or persons such as, rail, road or sea.
- Means of Transport refers to the vehicle used for the transport of goods or passengers for example, truck, aircraft, container ship or barge.
- Unimodal Transport is where goods are transported by one or more carriers using one mode of transport only.
- Intermodal Transport, where one carrier organizes the whole transport of goods by several modes of transport from one point or port of origin via one or more interface points to a final port or point
- Multimodal Transport occurs when the carrier organizing the transport takes responsibility for the entire process, and issues a multimodal transport document.
- Combined Transport refers to the transport of goods in the same loading unit or vehicle using a combination of rail, roar or inland waterway modes.
- Multimodal transport operation is a combination of various modes of transport (truck, rail, car, airplane, ship) in succession. Hereunder we examine the commonly used combinations
- Multimodal Transport Contract is a contract in which a Multimodal Transporter undertakes to perform or to procure performance of international multimodal transport.
- Consolidation is a process of dispatching as one overall consignment under an agent / freight forwarder’s sponsorship by Air, Rail, Container or Road Haulage unit, a number of individual compatible consignments from various consignors to various consignees.
Concept of Multimodal Transport
- “A transport system operated by one carrier with more than one mode of transport under the control or ownership of one operator.”
- “International multimodal transport’ means the carriage of goods by at least two different modes of transport on the basis of a multimodal transport contract from a place in one country at which the goods are taken in charge by the multimodal transport operator to a place designated for delivery situated in a different country”
- The operations of pick-up and delivery of goods carried out in the performance of a unimodal transport contract, as defined in such contract, shall not be considered as international multimodal transport.”