Plain-English definitions of the terms that recur across container inspection, gate operations, OCR, depot management, and the documentation workflows that connect them. Use the section links below to jump to a category, or search by term in the page navigator (Cmd K).
International standard that defines the unique 11-character code printed on every shipping container — four-letter owner prefix, six-digit serial, and a single check digit. The same standard governs the size and type code (e.g. 22G1) and the country, height, and operational markings on the container's exterior. Every ConPDS capture is linked to a validated ISO 6346 container number.
The three-letter container owner prefix issued by the Bureau International des Containers in Paris. BIC codes are the first component of every ISO 6346 container number (MSCU for MSC, MAEU for Maersk, HLCU for Hapag-Lloyd, and so on) and uniquely identify the leasing or operating company. The fourth letter — U, J, or Z — indicates equipment category.
The single digit at the end of every ISO 6346 container number, computed by a modulo-11 algorithm over the preceding 10 characters. Software validates the check digit at capture to catch transcription errors before they propagate into gate logs, repair claims, or DMS records. A failed check-digit validation almost always signals a manual-entry mistake.
The four-character ISO 6346 code (e.g. 22G1, 45R1, 22T1) that describes a container's external dimensions and structural type — length, height, and category such as general-purpose, refrigerated, tank, or flat rack. Used for capacity planning, stowage, and equipment matching at depots and terminals.
The pre-trip inspection performed on a refrigerated container before it is dispatched on a journey. PTI verifies the reefer machinery, sets a reference temperature, runs cooling and defrost cycles, and produces a printed or digital report. Reefer service facilities document each step photographically to satisfy carrier and shipper requirements — see reefer PTI photo documentation.
The handover document recording the condition of a container at the moment it changes custody — typically at gate-in or gate-out of a depot or terminal. The EIR establishes which party is responsible for any subsequent damage and is the primary reference document for repair claims and lease return disputes.
The condition inspection performed when a leased container is returned to the lessor at the end of its lease term. Damage found during a lease return is billed back to the lessee unless documented as pre-existing — making structured photo evidence the central determinant of who pays for what. ConPDS Checker is widely used by depots performing lease return inspections under IICL-6 criteria.
The two transactions that bracket a container's stay at a depot or terminal. Gate-in records the truck, container, condition, and seal as the unit enters the facility; gate-out records the same on departure. Every modern depot ties both events to photographic and OCR evidence to defend chain-of-custody claims — see ConPDS Autogate for full automation.
Stuffing is the loading of cargo into a container; devanning (also unstuffing) is the unloading. Both are evidence-critical events: cargo damage claims hinge on documenting the container interior, the cargo state, and the seal number before and after each operation. ConPDS Checker structures the stuffing/devanning photo sequence around the container number and seal record.
The 1972 IMO convention that sets structural safety standards for containers used in international transport. Every CSC-compliant container carries a CSC plate certifying its inspection status and load ratings. CSC compliance is checked at depots, terminals, and during stowage planning.
The metal certification plate attached to every CSC-compliant container, showing the date of manufacture, owner, maximum gross weight, allowable stacking weight, and the date of next inspection. Photographing the CSC plate is part of every depot's audit-trail capture sequence so the next examination date is always retrievable from inspection records.
An alternative to the CSC fixed re-examination interval. Under an ACEP, the container owner runs a continuous examination programme approved by a national authority, examining each container at least every 30 months without needing to re-stamp the CSC plate after each inspection. ACEP records depend on retrievable, dated inspection evidence — exactly what ConPDS Checker produces.
The Institute of International Container Lessors' sixth edition of standard damage and repair criteria for dry containers. IICL-6 is the lingua franca of lease return inspections — defining what counts as repairable wear, billable damage, or condemnation across leasing companies. See container inspection criteria reference for full coverage.
A unified standard for container inspection and repair criteria used by major shipping lines, providing a common vocabulary for damage classification, repair authorisation, and cost responsibility. UCIRC complements IICL-6 in many depot operations and is referenced in carrier-specific repair manuals.
The criteria used to decide whether a container is fit to carry cargo — structurally sound, weatherproof, and cleared of significant damage. A container that fails CIC is set aside for repair before it can be released for stuffing.
Condition standards describing whether a container is suitable for international cargo (cargo-worthy / CW) or restricted to domestic / one-trip use (trade-worthy). The classification follows IICL or carrier-specific criteria and is the primary output of every gate-out and lease return inspection.
The umbrella discipline covering all container maintenance and repair activity at a depot — from minor patch repairs to major structural reconstruction. M&R photo documentation is the basis for repair authorisation, billing, and claim defence. ConPDS Checker is the photo-evidence layer for M&R operations across hundreds of depots.
A refrigerated container with an integrated cooling unit, used for perishable cargo. Reefer operations require pre-trip inspections, set-point and temperature-trace records, and photographic documentation of the machinery, vents, and seal — far more evidence per move than a dry box.
The standard general-purpose shipping container — closed, watertight, and used for non-refrigerated cargo. Most depot inventory is dry-box equipment; gate-in / gate-out and EIR documentation processes are typically modelled around the dry-box workflow first, then extended to specialty equipment types.
A tank container built to ISO standards for the carriage of bulk liquids, gases, and powders. ISO tanks have specific cleaning, inspection, and certification requirements — including documented cleaning evidence between cargoes — that go beyond the dry-box workflow.
A container with a flat base and collapsible end-walls but no side walls or roof, used for over-dimensional cargo such as machinery and project loads. Flat-rack inspections focus on the structural integrity of the base, the locking mechanisms of the end-walls, and the lashing points.
A container with a removable tarpaulin or hard roof, used for cargo that must be top-loaded or exceeds standard interior height. Open-top inspections include verifying the tarp's condition, the bow set, and the corner-fitting weather seals.
A container that is one foot taller than the standard 8'6" — typically 9'6" external height — providing approximately 13% more interior volume. High-cube containers are now the dominant equipment type for 40' moves but require height-clearance awareness in road and rail transit.
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit and Forty-foot Equivalent Unit — the standard capacity units used to count container volumes at depots, terminals, and aboard vessels. One 40' container equals two TEU or one FEU. Most depot statistics and carrier capacity figures are reported in TEU regardless of the actual size mix.
The software system a container depot uses to manage inventory, gate transactions, M&R orders, billing, and reporting. ConPDS Checker, Tracker, and Autogate integrate with DMS platforms including DepotMaster and EOS so photo evidence and gate events feed the depot's existing records of truth.
Maersk's reefer asset event management system, used to coordinate reefer container condition, inspection, and repair workflows across the Maersk fleet and its depot partners. ConPDS Checker submits PTI and reefer M&R photo documentation directly into AEMS — see AEMS documentation integration.
A reefer maintenance and repair management system used by several major carriers and reefer service facilities. ConPDS Checker integrates with IMARS so reefer photo evidence lands in the carrier's M&R record without manual re-entry.
A widely deployed depot management system used by container depots in Europe and beyond. ConPDS Autogate uses DepotMaster's REST APIs to look up reservations, validate gate-in eligibility, and feed gate-event evidence back to the depot's records.
The standard protocol used by IP cameras to deliver live video over a network. Almost every gate-camera, yard-camera, and reefer-machinery camera supports RTSP — which is why ConPDS Tracker reads container numbers from any RTSP-compatible camera without hardware lock-in.
A lightweight publish-subscribe messaging protocol designed for distributed systems and IoT. ConPDS Tracker publishes every recognised ISO 6346 container number as JSON over MQTT so any DMS, gate system, or analytics platform can subscribe in real time without proprietary integrations — see Tracker integration guide.
The computer-vision technique used to read printed or stenciled characters — in the container industry, primarily ISO 6346 codes from the side and door of containers. ConPDS Tracker runs GPU-accelerated OCR on-premise; ConPDS Checker uses on-device OCR to validate the container number as the inspector points the camera.
The glossary covers the terms our customers raise most often. If a term you rely on isn't here — or a definition could be sharpened — tell us. We update this page as the industry vocabulary evolves.
