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Hague Rules, The: A multilateral maritime treaty adopted 1921 at the Hague, Netherlands. Standardizes liability of an international carrier under the Ocean Bill of Lading. Establishes a legal "floor" for the bill of lading.

Harbor Master: An officer who attends to the berthing, etc. of ships in a harbor and related duties.

Hard-Top Container: A closed container fitted with a roof that can be opened or lifted off.

Harmonized System of Codes (HS): An international goods classification system for describing cargo in international trade under a single commodity coding scheme. Developed under the auspices of the Customs Cooperations Council (CCC), an international Customs organization in Brussels, this code is a hierarchically structured product nomenclature containing approximately 5,000 headings and subheadings. It is organized into 99 chapters arranged into 22 sections. Sections encompass an industry; chapters encompass the various materials and products of the industry. The basic code contains 44 headings and 6 digit subheadings. Many countries add digits for Customs tariff and statistical purposes. In the US, duty rates will be 8 digit level; statistical suffixes will be at the 10 digit level. The Harmonized System (HS) is the current US tariff schedule (TSUSA) for imports and is the basis for the 10 digit Schedule B export code.

Hatch: The opening in the deck of a vessel. It gives access to the cargo hold.

HAZ MAT: Abbreviation for hazardous material.

Heavy-Lift Charge: A charge made for lifting articles that are too heavy for a ship's tackle.

High Cube: Any container which exceeds 8 feet 6 inches (102 inches) in height.

Hitchment: The marrying of two or more portions of one shipment that originate at different locations, moving under one bill of lading, from one shipper to one consignee. Authority for this service must be granted by tariff publication.

Humping: The process of connecting a moving rail car with a motionless rail car within a rail classification yard in order to make up a train. The cars move by gravity from an incline or "hump" onto the appropriate track.