@ - At (referring to price)
A. & C.P. - Anchors and chains proved
a.a. - "Always afloat, after arrival"
A.A.D. - Annual aggregate deductible
a.a.r. - Against all risks
A.B. - Able-bodied seaman
A.B.S. - American Bureau of Shipping is an American ship classification society.
a.c. - Account
A.C.A.S. - "Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service"
A.C.I.I. - Associate of Chartered Insurance Institute
A.C.V. - Air cushion vehicle (hovercraft)
A.F. - Advanced freight
a.f.a.a. - as far as applicable
A.G.W.I. - "Atlantic, Gulf, West Indies Limits"
a.h. - After hatch
A.H.F. - American hull form (insurance policy)
A.I.M.U. - American Institute of Marine Underwriters
A.M.I. - Absolute maximum loss
A.M.V.E.R. - Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue
A.O. Voy. - Any one voyage
A.O.B. - Any one bottom
A.O.E. - Any one event
A.O.L. - Any one loss
a.o.loc. - Any one location
A.O.O. - Any one occurrence
A.O.R. - Any one risk
A.O.V. - Any one vessel
A.P. - Additional premium
A.P.L. - As per list
A.R. - All risks
A.S.E.A.N. - Association of South East Asian Nations
A.T.L. - Actual total loss
A/C - Account current
A/o - Account of
A/P - Additional premium
A/R - All risks. Against all risks
A/S - "After sight, Account sales, Alonside (chartering)"
A/T - American terms (grain trade)
A/v - "Average, ad valorem (according to value)"
AADFI - Association of African Development Finance Institutions
AAEI - American Association of Exporters and Importers
AAIB - Arab-African International Bank
AATP - Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations
ABC - American Business Center
ABCA - Association des Banques Centrales Africaines
Abdnt. - Abandonment
ABEDA - Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
ABI - "American Business Initiative, Automated Broker Interface"
Absorption - "Absorption is investment and consumption purchases by households,businesses, and governments, both domestic and imported. When absorption exceeds production, the excess is the country's current account deficit."
Abt. - About
ABTA - Association of British Travel Agents
ACAB - Association of Central African Banks
ACC - Arab Cooperation Council
Acc. - Acceptance. Accepted
ACCJ - American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
accomplished bill of lading - Original bill of lading surrendered to the carrying ship at the discharge port in exchange for the goods.
ACCT - Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation
Acct - Account
ACDA - Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
ACEP - Advisory Committee on Export Policy
ACH - Automated Clearinghouse
ACP - "African, Caribbean, and Pacific"
ACP - "African, Caribbean and Pacific States"
ACPC - Association of Coffee Producing Countries
ACS - Automated Commercial System
ACTPN - Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations
ACU - Asian Clearing Union
AD - Antidumping
Ad Val - Ad Valorem
Ad Valorem - "Literally: according to value. Any charge, tax, or duty that is applied as a percentage of value. "
Ad Valorem Equivalent - "AVE is the rate of duty which would have been required on dutiable imports under that item, if the United States customs value of such imports were based on the United States port of entry value. "
AD Valorem Tariff - "A tariff assessed as a percentage of the value of the goods cleared through customs. For example, 10 percent Ad Valorem means the tariff is 10 percent of the value of the goods."
Ad. val. - Ad valorem-according to value
ADB - Asian Development Bank
ADB - Asian Development Bank
ADF - "African Development Foundation, African Development Fund, Asian Development Fund"
ADFAED - Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development
Administrative Exception Notes - "CoCom controls exports at three levels, depending on the item and the proposed destination. At the lowest level, ""national discretion"" (also called ""administrative exception""), a member nation may approve the export on its own, but CoCom must be notified"
ADRs - American Depository Receipts
ADS - Agent Distributor Service ADS provides a custom search overseas for interested and qualified foreign representatives on behalf of a U.S. exporter. Officers abroad conduct the search and prepare a report identifying up to six foreign prospects that have examined the U.S. firm's product literature and have expressed interest in representing the U.S. firm's products.
Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations (ACTN) - "A group appointed by the U.S. President to advise him on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements."
Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations - "The ACTPN is a group (membership of 45; two-year terms) appointed by the President to provide advice on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements. The 1974 Trade Act requires the ACTPN's establishment and broad representation"
AECA - Arms Export Control Act
AEF - Africa Enterprise Fund
AEN - Administrative Exception Note
AERP - Automated Export Reporting Program
AfDB - African Development Bank
AfDF - African Development Fund
AFESD - Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
"Affreightment, contract of " - "An agreement by a steamship line to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer, who then becomes liable for payment even if he is later unable to make the shipment."
AFREXIMBANKAfrican Export-Import Bank
Africa Project Development Facility - The APDF seeks to accelerate development of productive enterprises sponsored by private African entrepreneurs as a means of generating self-sustained economic growth and productive employment in Sub-Saharan Africa. The facility provides advisory services
African Development Bank - AfDB (French: Banque Africaine de Developpement) provides financing through direct loans to African member states to cover the foreign exchange costs incurred in Bank-approved development projects in those countries. Fifty-one African countries are member
aft - At or towards the rear of a ship.
AFTA - ASEAN Free Trade Area
AG - "Aktiengesellschaft, Australia Group"
Agency for International Development - "AID was created in 1961 to administer foreign economic assistance programs of the U.S. Government. AID has field missions and representatives in approximately 70 developing countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Near East."
Agent/Distributor Service - "The Agent/Distributor Service, ADS, is an International Trade Administration (ITA) fee-based service which locates foreign import agents and distributors."
Agrement - Agreement by one government to accept the accreditation of an ambassador from another government.
AGRICOLA - Agricultural OnLine Access
AGRIS - Agriculture Information System
Agt. - "Agent, Against, Agreement"
AIB - Arab International Bank
AIBD - Association of International Bond Dealers
AID - Agency for International Development
AID - Agency for International Development
Aide-Memoire - A short written summary of oral remarks made to a foreign government representative and left with that individual.
AIES - Automated Information Exchange System
AIG - Airbus Industries Group
AIMS - Agriculture Information and Marketing Services
Air Cargo Agent - A type of freight forwarder who specializes in air cargo and acts for airlines that pay him a fee (usually 5%). The Air Cargo Agent is registered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Airbus Industries Group - "AIG is a supranational management organization responsible for design, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and support of selected commercial aircraft. Member countries are France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Airbus Industries, G.I.E. "
Aircraft Agreement (ATCA) - "Formally known as the ''Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft.'' (ATCA), this MTN agreement is the only major sector-specific civil aircraft agreement. It establishes a framework of rules governing the conduct of trade in civil aircraft based on commercial"
AIST - Agency for Industrial Science Technology
AIT - American Institute in Taiwan
AIT - American Institute in Taiwan
AKA - Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft - "AG (German, meaning: ""stock company"") is a corporation with a separate legal personality which must have at least five partners. The firm name usually reflects the activities of the company and must include ""AG."" "
ALADI - Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion
ALIDE - "Association Latinoamericana de Institutiones Financieras, de Desarrollo"
All Risks Coverage - "All Risks Coverage, a type of marine insurance, is the broadest kind of standard coverage, but excludes damage caused by war, strikes, and riots."
All-Risk Clause - An insurance provision that all loss or damage to goods is insured except inherent vice (self-caused).
AMB - Ambassador
AMCHAM - American Chamber of Commerce
Amendments - Article XXX of the GATT Agreement provides that amendments (that become effective upon acceptance by two thirds of the Contracting Parties) are to be effective only for those parties which accept them.
American Business Initiative - "The ABI, or American Business and Private Sector Development Initiative for Eastern Europe, emphasizes the export of American telecommunciations, energy, environment, housing, and agriculture products and services to Eastern European countries. "
American Depository Receipts - "ADRs are negotiable receipts for the securities of a foreign company which are kept in the vaults of an American bank, allowing Americans to trade the foreign securities in the United States while accruing any dividends and capital gains. "
American Institute in Taiwan - "The AIT is a non-profit corporation that represents U.S. commerical, cultural, and other interests in Taiwan in lieu of an embassy. In 1979, the United States terminated formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it recognized the People's Republic of China."
American Traders Index - "The American Traders Index, ATI, is the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service headquarters compilation of individual US&FCS domestic client files, for use by overseas posts to generate mailing lists. "
AMF - Arab Monetary Fund
amidships - At or towards the middle of a ship.
AMS - "Agricultural Marketing Service, Automated Manifest System"
AMSC - African Management Services Company
amt. - Amount
AMU - Arab Maghreb Union
Andean Group - The Andean Group (Spanish: Grupo Andino; sometimes referred to as Pacto Andino or Corporation Adino de Fomento; formal reference is Acuerdo de Cartegana in recognition of the Group's establishment in Cartegena in October 1969) is an association of Latin
Andean Reserve Fund - "The Andean Reserve Fund (Spanish: Fondo Andina de Reservas), associated with the Andean Group, was established to strengthen the balance of payments positions of member countries by offering credit, guarantee loans, and promoting compatibility among members"
ANF - Arrival notification form
Anti-Dumping Clause - A tariff imposed to discourage sale of foreign goods in the United States market at very low prices (below foreign country's domestic market) which might hurt U.S. manufacturers.
Antidumping - "Antidumping, as a reference to the system of laws to remedy dumping, is defined as a converse of dumping."
Antidumping Duty Order - "A notice issued following final determination of sales at less than fair value and material injury, or threat of material injury, providing for the imposition of antidumping duties."
Antidumping Investigation Notice - The notice published in the Federal Register announcing the initiation of an antidumping investigation. An investigation must be initiated within 20 days of the filing of a valid petition.
Antidumping/Countervailing Duty System - "The Antidumping/Countervailing Duty System, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System, contains a case reference database and a statistical reporting system to capture data for International Trade Commission reports on antidumping and countervailing "
AOSIS - Alliance of Small Island States
AP - Administrative Protective Order
APAC - Auto Parts Advisory Committee
APDF - Africa Project Development Facility
APEC - Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation
API - American Petroleum Institute
Appd. - Approved
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa - The ABEDA (French: Banque Arabe pour le Developpement Economique en Afrique -- BADEA) was created by the League of Arab States in November 1973 (began operations in March 1975) to promote economic and technical cooperation between Arab and African states
Arab Cooperation Council - "The ACC was created in 1989 to promote economic cooperation and integration. Members include Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and North Yemen. The ACC, partly intended as a counterpart to Gulf Cooperation Council, was created one day subsequent to the establishment"
Arab Trade Financing Program - "The ATFP promotes trade among Arab countries and exports from Arab countries. The Program was established in 1989 by the Arab Monetary Fund; headquarters are in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. "
Arbitrage - The simultaneous buying and selling of the same commodity or foreign exchange in two or more markets in order to take advantage of price differentials.
Arbitrage - The practice of exchanging the currency of one country for that of another or a series of countries to gain an advantage from the differences in exchange rates.
Arbitration Clause - A clause in a sales contract outlining the method under which disputes will be settled.
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency - ACDA is an independent agency within the State Department. ACDA participates in interagency working groups that discuss export license applications requiring dispute resolution. ACDA is interested in dual-use license applications from a non-proliferation
Arr. T. L. - Arranged total loss
Arrangement on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export Credits - "The Arrangement is an international agreement under Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development auspices governing the conditions -- such as interest rate, repayment term, and cash downpayment -- of medium- and long-term official export credit "
arrest - Seizure of a ship by an authority of a court of law either as a debt security or to prevent the ship from departing until a dispute is settled.
ARS - African Regional Organization for Standardization
AsDF - Asian Development Fund
ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEAN - Association of South-East Asian Nations
ASEAN Free Trade Area - "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed in January 1992 to create a free trade area (ASEAN Free Trade Area, or AFTA) with use of a common effective preferential tariff. Under the agreement ASEAN members will cut tariff rates within 15 years"
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation - "APEC, established in November 1989, is an informal grouping of Asia Pacific countries that provides a forum for Ministerial level discussion of a broad range of economic issues. APEC includes the six ASEAN countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine"
Asian Development Bank - "The ADB helps finance economic development in developing countries in the Asian and Pacific area through the provision of loans on near-market terms, with its Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR), and on concessional terms, through the Asian Development Fund "
Asian Development Fund - "The ADF (or AsDF), an affiliate of the Asian Development Bank, lends funds on concessionary terms to the Bank's least developed member countries."
Assessment - The imposition of antidumping duties on imported merchandise.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations - "ASEAN was established in 1967 to promote political, economic, and social cooperation among its six member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei. ASEAN headquarters are in Jakarta, Indonesia. In January 1992, ASEAN"
At. wt. - Atomic Weight
ATFP - Arab Trade Financing Program
athwartships - Across the ship or from side to side.
ATI - "American Traders Index, Andean Trade Initiative"
Atl. - Atlantic
ATLAS - Automated Trade Locator Assistance Network
ATMIC - Agricultural Trade and Marketing Information Center
ATOs - Agricultural Trade Offices
ATP - Advanced Technology Products
ATPA - Andean Trade Preference Act
ATPI - Andean Trade Preference Initiative
AUMA - "Die Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen, Wirtschaft"
Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft - AKA (English: Export Credit Establishment) is an association of German banks which provide medium and long-term funding for exports.
Ausstellungs (Die) - und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft - "AUMA (German: the German Industry Council for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs) promotes exports by bringing together government, semiprivate, and private organizations in the coordination of domestic and overseas trade events. AUMA is a private organization "
Automated Broker Interface - "ABI, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System, permits transmission of data pertaining to merchandise being imported into the United States. Qualified participants include brokers, importers, carriers, port authorities, and independent data process"
Automated Commercial System - "The Customs Service's Automated Commercial System, ACS, is a joint public-private sector computerized data processing and telecommunications system linking customhouses, members of the import trade community, and other government agencies with the Customs"
Automated Information Exchange - "AIES, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System, allows for exchange of classification and value information between field units and headquarters. "
Automated Manifest Systems - "AMS, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System (ACS) controls imported merchandise from the time a carrier's cargo manifest is electronically transmitted to Customs until control is relinquished to another segment of the ACS. "
Automated Trade Locator Assistance Network - "ATLAS is a Small Business Administration-sponsored, contractor-operated, automated system which provides market research information and statistics on world markets by SIC code (and possibly harmonized system). Indirect access is available for businesses."
AUTOVON - Automatic Voice Network
Aux. - Auxiliary Vessel
Av. - Average
Av. disbts. - Average disbursements
AVE - Ad Valorem Equivalent
AWB - Airway Bill
The Corporacion Andina de Fomento - "CAF (English: Andean Development Corporation) supports economic integration among members of the Andean Group by encouraging specialization, distribution of investments and by providing financial and technical help."
