Affreighter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual or business that hires a ship for transporting cargo engages a vessel for freight purposes in maritime operations
2. Someone who arranges for a ship to carry goods by hiring it for freight transport
3. An entity that contracts a vessel specifically for the purpose of shipping cargo

Etymology: "Affreighter" is a shipping term for the party that hires a vessel to carry its goods. It is built from "affreight," a verb meaning to hire a ship or aircraft to transport cargo, with the agent suffix "-er" attached to name the one doing the hiring. The verb itself is an older English formation in the same line of maritime vocabulary, so the word is a plain, transparent compound of a shipping verb and a common English ending rather than a borrowing from another language. The reason the word matters is the distinction it draws. A shipowner supplies the vessel, while the affreighter supplies the cargo and pays for the space, so the two roles can be held by entirely different companies. Charter contracts often turn on which party is the affreighter, because that party bears responsibility for loading, freight payments and many of the commercial risks of the voyage.

Synonyms: carrier, transporter, freight company, shipper