Short shipment

A short shipment is cargo that was booked and manifested for a vessel but not actually loaded, so the quantity received falls short of the quantity declared. Causes include a missed cut-off, a failed VGM, a documentation hold, lack of stowage space, or a unit rolled to a later sailing. It forces a manifest amendment to keep the filed manifest matching what is aboard, since a discrepancy between manifest and loaded cargo triggers customs penalties. The carrier issues a shipped-short notice, the booking rolls or cancels, and the bill of lading is corrected. The opposite event, cargo loaded without manifest cover, is an over-shipment.