FCA or FOB for a container delivered to a terminal?

Overview

ICC’s checklist points to FCA for containers, multimodal movements and terminal delivery, while FOB places delivery on board the vessel. The seller’s actual handover arrangement therefore matters.

Draw the movement before choosing the term

GENLOG suggests marking factory, warehouse, terminal and vessel on a timeline. Record who receives goods from the seller and what evidence proves delivery. This can expose differences between contract wording and operating practice.

Compare actual delivery events

Container handover often happens before loading on the vessel. The commercial wording must match a provable event, so examine the interval rather than assuming the events coincide.

Six checks for a container shipment

1. List truck arrival, loading, warehouse departure, terminal receipt and vessel loading. Identify control at each event.
2. Ask where the seller intends to complete delivery. FCA at the seller's premises and FCA elsewhere do not have identical loading/unloading arrangements; check the relevant application.
3. Inspect the records actually available. Truck receipts, gate records and B/L data may evidence different events.
4. Confirm who nominates the carrier, sends truck details and approves the collection plan. Agree how substitutions are communicated.
5. Check payment-document requirements with the bank and carrier if an on-board bill is required. Changing the acronym is not a document-management solution by itself.
6. Agree origin customs work, handover costs and evidence retention, and pass the approved scope to warehouse and trucking teams.

Scenario: gate-in before a delayed sailing

Assume terminal receipt on day 10, planned loading on day 12 and revised loading on day 15. Separate the receipt event from vessel loading and read the actual agreed delivery term. Gate-in alone does not answer the risk question.

For FCA at a precise point, establish whether the agreed delivery occurred and what proves it. For FOB, identify the relevant on-board delivery event. This exercise identifies evidence to collect; it does not decide a dispute.

Meanwhile, establish who can request a sailing change, contact the terminal and amend documents. Allocating a particular extra charge may require the sale agreement and actual service terms, not merely a yard receipt.

FAQ and avoidable errors

• Is FCA limited to a factory? No; identify the agreed place and its applicable delivery arrangements.
• Is familiar FOB wording enough? Repeated usage does not resolve a mismatch between contract and operations.
• Can any truck receipt prove delivery? Check its signatory, time and recorded event against what must be established.
• Avoid conflicting locations across contract, booking, quote and collection emails. Use a common location reference and an approved version.

Selection checklist

Specify the address or terminal, receiving party and delivery evidence. Confirm loading and unloading responsibilities at that point and export arrangements. If payment requires an on-board bill, discuss document availability separately with the bank and carrier.

References

GENLOG practical guide, reviewed on 24 October 2026 using public primary sources. Examples are illustrations, not official tariffs or contract templates.

Next guide

EXW and DDP: test both ends of responsibility