Just like the Air Waybill, the Bill of Lading is one of the most essential documents for ocean shipments. It is typically issued by the freight agent or carrier to the shipper. It usually includes a range of details such as the Port of Destination, Port of Loading, Cargo Description, Consignee, and Shipper. It also includes other terms that include CFS/CFS and CY/CY.
CY usually refers to Container Yard and is the place for storing containers after they are unloaded from the vessel or before they are loaded on to the vessel. The Container Yard is for the most part used for Full Container Load (FCL) shipments while the CFS is typically used for Less than Container Load (LCL) freight.
CY/CY – This is a Full Container Load shipment that is collected at the origin port’s container yard and is then delivered to a consignee at the destination port’s container yard. In such an instance, the carrier is responsible for the shipment from the container yard at the port of origin until it reaches the container yard at the destination port. These shipments will typically have just one Consignee and Shipper and may also be known as FCL/FCL Shipments.
CFS/CFS – This is a consignment where the goods heading to a particular destination are consolidated at the container freight station. Usually involving LCL shipments at the port of origin, they will be de-consolidated at the container freight station at the destination port. These will typically have multiple consignees and shippers and may be referred to as LCL/LCL Shipments.
CFS/CY – This is typically a consolidation of LCL shipments at port of origin that consolidates the goods of different buyers. However, the LCL shipment will be delivered to a single consignee at the destination port’s Container Yard despite having multiple shippers.
CY/CFS – Refers to when the shipment is collected from the port of origin’s Container Yard and is then delivered to the Container Freight Station at the destination port where it is de-consolidated. These shipments usually have multiple consignees and a single shipper and are also known as LCL/FCL shipments.
Note that all of these are port to port deliveries, which means that the Consignee or Shipper needs to make the arrangements for the shipment to be delivered to the Container Freight Station or the Container Yard at the port of origin. They will then have to collect the shipment from the container freight station or container yard at the destination port.