What do CY/FO, CY/CY, and CY/LO mean in international maritime shipping?

First, CY (Container Yard) refers to the container depot in foreign trade terminology. A container depot, also known as a terminal, plays a crucial role for the export of sea containers. Its function is to gather all export customers' containers at a certain location (whether customs-cleared or not) and, after the cut-off time, load them onto the ship (by which time they must have been cleared by customs). In other words, the depot serves as the unified collection point for containers before being loaded onto the ship, where the containers wait for customs clearance. This facilitates management by the shipping company and customs authorities.

Now that we know what CY means, let's look at what CY/FO, CY/CY, CY/LO specifically represent:

CY/CY (Container Yard to Container Yard): This term refers to the transport mode from depot to depot, where the carrier receives the full container load at the shipping port's container yard and is responsible for transporting it to the receiving port's container yard for delivery to the consignee.

CY/FO (Free Out): The carrier receives the full container load at the shipping port's container yard and is responsible for transporting it to the discharge port but does not handle unloading.

CY/LO (Line Out): The carrier receives the full container load at the shipping port's container yard and is responsible for transporting it to the discharge port and unloading.

CY/TACKLE: The carrier receives the full container load at the shipping port's container yard and is responsible for transporting it to the discharge port, where it is unloaded directly onto the receiving vehicle.

CY/HOOK: The carrier receives the full container load at the shipping port's container yard and is responsible for transporting it to the discharge port, where the service terminates after the container is unloaded by crane.

It is also important to note the difference between CY-CFS and CY-CY, mainly in terms of handover locations, methods, and the number of consignees involved:

1. Handover Locations:

• CFS (Container Freight Station) refers to a shipping container freight station where the handover occurs.
• CY (Container Yard) refers to a container depot or terminal where the handover occurs.

2. Handover Methods:

• CY-CFS involves a handover from FCL (Full Container Load) to LCL (Less than Container Load), where the carrier receives the sealed full container at the origin port's container yard, transports it to the destination port's container freight station, and then it is unboxed and distributed to the consignees.
• CY-CY involves a handover from FCL to FCL, meaning that the shipper delivers the containerized goods from the origin port directly to the container yard, or the consignee picks up the full container at the destination port's container yard.

3. Number of Consignees:

• The CY-CFS shipping terms imply that one shipper's goods are intended for two or more consignees.
• The CY-CY shipping terms imply that there is one shipper and one consignee.