Break bulk

Break bulk is cargo loaded, stowed, and discharged piece by piece rather than in a container or as a homogeneous bulk flow. Typical items are bagged goods, steel coils and plates, machinery, vehicles, and palletized or crated lots that the ship’s gear or shore cranes handle individually. Each piece is tallied, marked, and lashed separately, so handling rates run lower than container moves and damage and pilferage exposure runs higher. The term also describes splitting a consolidated container load into its individual consignments at a CFS. Break-bulk berths use conventional general-cargo ships, not cellular box ships.