Marine cargo insurance glossary — English / العربية
The terms you meet on a certificate of insurance or a bill of lading, translated and explained in one line each.
| English | العربية | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Marine cargo insurance | التأمين البحري على البضائع | Cover for goods in transit by sea, air, road or rail. |
| Certificate of insurance | شهادة التأمين | The document proving a specific shipment is insured. |
| Bill of lading (B/L) | بوليصة الشحن (سند الشحن) | The ocean carrier's document of title, receipt and contract. |
| Air waybill (AWB) | بوليصة الشحن الجوي | The air carrier's transport document. |
| CMR note | سند النقل البري CMR | The road carrier's transport document. |
| Commercial invoice | الفاتورة التجارية | The seller's invoice for the goods — the base document for value. |
| Packing list | قائمة التعبئة | What is inside each package, piece by piece. |
| HS code | رمز النظام المنسق (HS) | The international commodity code used in customs and in rating. |
| Incoterms | شروط التسليم (إنكوترمز) | The trade rules that split cost, risk and documents between buyer and seller. |
| CIF | التكلفة والتأمين والشحن | Seller pays goods + insurance + freight to destination port; minimum cover ICC (C). |
| Insured value | القيمة المؤمَّنة | The amount cover is based on — normally CIF + 10%. |
| Premium | قسط التأمين | The price of the cover. |
| All risks — ICC (A) | كل المخاطر — ICC (A) | The broadest clause set: any external cause, minus exclusions. |
| Exclusion | الاستثناءات | What the policy does not cover — delay, poor packing, inherent vice… |
| Endorsement | ملحق البوليصة | A document changing or adding to the policy terms. |
| Warehouse to warehouse | من المستودع إلى المستودع | Cover from leaving the seller's warehouse to arriving at the buyer's. |
| General average | العوارية العامة | Shared contribution when cargo is sacrificed to save the voyage. |
| Particular average | الخصرة الخاصة | Damage to the goods themselves, as opposed to a shared sacrifice. |
| Salvage charges | مصاريف الإنقاذ | Payable to rescuers who save the cargo; covered under ICC clauses. |
| Deductible / excess | التحمّل | The part of each loss the insured bears before the insurer pays. |
| Claim | المطالبة | The request for compensation under the policy. |
| Underwriting | الاكتتاب | The insurer's assessment and pricing of the risk. |
| Carrier liability | مسؤولية الناقل | The carrier's capped legal liability — not insurance. |
| Perils of the sea | مخاطر البحر | Sea dangers carriers are excluded from — waves, weather, grounding. |
| SDR | حقوق سحب خاصة | The IMF unit of account used in liability limits. |
Want the deeper context? Start with ICC (A), (B) and (C) explained.
Questions
What is the Arabic term for bill of lading?
بوليصة الشحن — also called سند الشحن. It is the ocean carrier's receipt, contract and document of title.
What is العوارية العامة in English?
General average — the ancient rule that shares emergency sacrifices across everyone with cargo on the voyage.
Where do I see these terms in practice?
On the certificate of insurance, the bill of lading and your sales contract.
Guides
- ICC (A), (B) and (C): which cargo cover do you need?
- How much will the carrier pay if your cargo is lost?
- Incoterms and cargo insurance: who has to insure the goods?
- General average: why you may pay for someone else's loss
- Do you need cargo insurance? Five questions that decide
- Freight insurance vs cargo insurance: what's the difference?
- Cargo insurance documents: what you need, and when