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Shipping & Logistics

NVOCC

Also known as: Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier

A non-vessel operating common carrier is an entity that acts as a carrier to the shipper — issuing its own bills of lading and taking contractual responsibility for the cargo — while itself buying space from the ocean lines that actually operate the vessels. By purchasing slots in volume and reselling them, an NVOCC offers competitive rates, consolidation services, and a single point of contact without owning any ships. To the shipper it looks and functions like a carrier; to the vessel operator it is a large, aggregated customer, and it is regulated as a common carrier with published or negotiated rates.

The JFS takeLicensed customs broker · Filer 82G

An NVOCC sells space it has bought from a carrier and issues its own bill of lading. That is legitimate and often cheaper. The thing to check is that it is properly licensed and bonded, because your recourse if the box goes missing runs against the entity whose paper you hold.

Where it matters for compliance

  • NVOCCs in U.S. trades must be licensed or registered and bonded with the FMC.

Related terms

Freight ForwarderA freight forwarder is a logistics intermediary that arranges the transport of goods on behalf of shippers, booking space with ocean, air, road, and rail carriers, consolidating cargo, preparing shipping and export documentation, and coordinating the many hand-offs of an international shipment.Bill of LadingA bill of lading is the foundational document of ocean freight, issued by a carrier to a shipper, that serves three distinct functions at once: a receipt confirming the carrier has taken the described goods into its custody, evidence of the contract of carriage setting out the terms of transport, and — when issued in negotiable form — a document of title whose holder controls delivery of the cargo.

Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.