Cabotage - what is it?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

First of all, let's understand what cabotage is. This is a word that means the very process of sailing a ship from port to port, without leaving the borders of one country. The concept is known to everyone who works in the maritime industry. As for beginners, many marine terms are completely unfamiliar to them and raise many questions. In order to acquaint such people with the main concepts of this type of transportation, we have prepared this article.

General concept

All marine terms have their own interpretation and come from some basic reference word. Cabotage is no exception. This expression comes from the Spanish "cabo", which means "cape" in Russian. The fact is that it was this kind of swimming that was called coastal in ancient times. Sailing from one cape to another, the ships did not cross the borders of other states, thus reinforcing such a concept as intrastate transportation by sea. MoreMoreover, in those days it meant that the ship makes a voyage without going to sea. So the Vikings, and the Greeks, and the Egyptians swam. Both the word itself and its meaning have survived to our times. In the modern world, such transportation is carried out by the merchant fleet, the concept of "cabotage" has become fixed as an official term. True, it does not mean that the ship does not go to the open sea, but only means crossing the state border. For example, in the Soviet Union, such a term was used to refer to transportation that was carried out within the water area:

• Black and Azov seas.
• White Sea and Arctic Ocean.
• Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering Seas.

Usually, certain vessels were intended for such a voyage.

Transport Benefits

Sea transportation in the modern world is gaining more and more positive feedback and gaining popularity. Due to the fact that our planet is covered with water veins and arteries that connect with each other, getting from one place to another by sea does not cause any difficulties. This type of transportation is quite reliable and uninterrupted. And its most important advantage is that the cost of such transportation is much cheaper than, for example, air transportation. Moreover, the nature of some cargoes makes it impossible to move them by air or by car on the highway, while by sea this can be done easily and simply.

Types of cabotage

There are several options for this type of transportation. First, let's look at this in terms ofterritories where this process takes place:

• Mainland coasting is the sailing of one ship along the mainland, while it does not call at any port located on the islands of this state.
• Island cabotage - in this case, the ship can fly both from the mainland to the island and back, and between the islands, but without leaving its country.

If we consider cabotage from the point of view of waterways, there are also distinctions here:

• Sea cabotage is the transportation of any cargo or people with or without access to the open sea.
• River coasting - does not involve swimming in the sea, but only movement along the river inland routes. Recently, this type of transportation has practically not been used, since a large number of artificially created structures do not allow free movement along the rivers.

Considering the first type of swimming, we can distinguish its following types:

• Small coasting, meaning movement within the same water body, mainly along the coast, without going into open waters.
• Big when a ship moves from one sea to another or goes out into the ocean.

According to experts, Greece owns the largest coastal fleet, and such transportation plays a very important role in the economy of this country.

Types of ships

A coaster is nothing more than a ship that carries cargo within one country, notgoing beyond its borders. There are several types of such ships, and each has its own characteristics. For the successful transportation of goods, it is necessary to carefully consider what type of vessel you will transport it in order to avoid problems during the voyage. The minimum weight that any such ship can carry is ten thousand tons, which makes such transportation even more attractive, despite the long delivery time due to the low speed of movement. We list the most common types:

• Dry cargo carrier - used to transport solid, bulk and bulk substances or cargo that is packed in a special container;
• container carrier - designed to transport goods packed in special containers of a certain size;
• ro-ro - equipped with equipment designed to transport various vehicles;
• tanker - used for the transportation of liquid goods, which are poured into special tanks, and at the end of the voyage they are pumped into special tanks;
• refrigerator - equipped with special refrigerators designed for products that spoil quickly;
• lighter carrier - a specially designed ship for the transport of lighters; in the event that there are problems with loading some goods due to lack of space, then the products are loaded on small lighters, which are then placed on a large vessel equipped with special platforms for fastening.

Legal

As you can see, cabotage isa multifaceted concept that has many features. But the main thing at the same time is to comply with all legal aspects. It is very important for both the sender and the recipient of the goods to receive everything safe and sound. Therefore, before loading the goods, the parties must necessarily conclude an agreement. Under the contract, one party, represented by the carrier, undertakes to deliver the goods without damage and transfer directly to the other party, represented by the recipient. For this, the carrier receives a pre-agreed fee.

It is worth noting that the history of legal relations in this area began in ancient times. Back then, shipowners negotiated the rules that regulated different transportation options. The main thing has always been to deliver the goods intact or pay compensation in case of loss or damage to the goods.

Documentation

In addition to the contract, there are other documents that regulate maritime transportation. Among them:

• bill of lading - the main document for the orders of the goods;
• sea waybill;
• dock receipt;
• delivery order;
• navigator's receipt;
• warehouse receipt.

Various documentation is used during transportation, and its type depends both on the established procedure in the transportation company, and on the desire of the sender.