Lewis: Let’s have a word about delivery under FOB terms, shall we? But before we start, I must confess I’m quite a layman in import and export business. Sometimes terms like shipping advice or shipping instruction keep puzzling me and very often I can’t tell which is which. I do feel a bit nervous at times.

Xiong: Everybody has a beginning, so don’t feel nervous at all. As to these two terms, let me tell you once and for all. Shipping advice is issued by the seller, to advise the buyer that the goods have been shipped on board, while shipping instruction is issued by the buyer, to instruct the seller of the name of ship andits sailing date.

Lewis:Excuse me, please. Shipping advice the buyer… shipping instruction instructing the seller… They get confused very easily. But I’ll learn it by and by. One lives to learn.

Xiong:In this transaction, you are the buyer. As buyer, you are to charter a ship or book the shipping space.

Lewis: That’s understood.

Xiong: Then you should advise us, or rather, instruct us by fax, name of ship and its sailing date. In another word, you are to send us a shipping ofr shipment beforehand.

Lewis: That’s also understood. Will you make clear to me your responsibility?

Xiong: We’ll see the goods pass over the ship’ rail and our responsibility ends there.

Lewis: It’s you who should bear all the charges of transportation of the goods, am I right?

Xiong: We bear all the charges up to the time the goods are the on hooks.

Lewis: What do you mean by all the charges?

Xiong: Thyey are Customs duties as well as any service charges on exporting goods.

Lewis: As I understand it, you are also to inform us of the contract number, name of commodity, quantity, loading  port and the extimated date whern the goods will reach the prot of loading. Is that so?

Xiong: Exacly. We’ll fax you 30 days before the month of shipmet.

Lewis: Excellent. So far we have a mutual understanding on everything concerning our respec tive responsibilities. I hope we’ll both discharge them as well.

confess                  承認，坦白         bear              承擔

layman                  外行               transportation       運輸

shipping advice           裝船通知           hook              鉤，（船上的）吊鉤

shipping instruction        裝船須知           customs           海關

puzzle                   困惑               duty              關稅

nervous                  緊張               exporting          出口的

board                    甲板               load              裝載

instruct                   指示               estimate           估計      

charter                   租船                reach             到達

responsibility              責任               excellent           優秀的， 杰出的

pass                     通過               concerning          有關……的

rail                      扶手，欄桿         respective          各自的

end                      結束               discharge           卸，履行（職責）