FAS Free Alongside Ship
The seller places the goods on the quay alongside the vessel; the buyer lifts them aboard.
Sea and inland waterway onlyFAS is a bulk and breakbulk rule. The seller clears the goods for export and delivers them alongside the named vessel — on the quay or on a lighter — at the named port. From that spot the buyer pays for loading them on board, for the freight and for everything after.
Track a container- Risk passes at
- Alongside the vessel
- Export clearance
- Seller
- Import duty & taxes
- Buyer
- Cargo insurance
- Not required
The journey, stage by stage
Every stage of the shipment in order, and who pays for it.
- 1 Packing the goods for export Seller pays
- 2 Loading onto the collecting vehicle Seller pays
- 3 Inland carriage to the port or terminal Seller pays
- 4 Export customs formalities Seller pays
- 5 Terminal handling at origin Seller pays
- Risk passes to the buyer The moment the goods are placed alongside the named vessel at the port of shipment — on the quay, not yet lifted.
- 6 Loading onto the main carrier Buyer pays
- 7 The international freight Buyer pays
- 8 Terminal handling at destination Buyer pays
- 9 Import customs, duty and taxes Buyer pays
- 10 Inland carriage to the final destination Buyer pays
- 11 Unloading at the final destination Buyer pays
What the seller does
- Pack the goods, clear them for export and deliver them alongside the named vessel.
- Meet the loading date the buyer gave, at the loading point the buyer named.
- Hand over proof that the goods were delivered alongside.
What the buyer does
- Contract the sea carriage and name the vessel, the loading point and the date.
- Pay for loading the goods on board and for the freight.
- Carry the risk from the quayside onward.
- Clear the goods for import and pay duty and taxes.
Use it when
- Bulk and breakbulk — grain, ore, steel, timber.
- Project and heavy-lift cargo loaded by the vessel’s own gear or a shore crane the buyer books.
- Charters, where the buyer controls the ship and its loading terms.
Watch out for
- Not a container rule. A box handed in at a terminal gate is never “alongside” anything, and the seller loses control days before the ship arrives — use FCA.
- Whether the cargo can wait on the quay, and who pays if the vessel is late, is a matter for the sales contract — FAS does not settle it.
FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF are for sea and inland waterway transport only, and only for cargo handed over at the ship.
Compare with
Sources for this page
Every payer cell on these pages was checked against several published references, and the two cells those references disagree on are drawn as “per contract” rather than resolved by picking a side. This is a summary for orientation, not legal advice — the contract and the ICC text govern.
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Incoterms® 2020
International Chamber of Commerce
The rules themselves. The authoritative text is ICC publication no. 723E, which is not free — this page is a summary of it, not a copy.
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Incoterms
Wikipedia
Risk transfer point, export and import clearance and the insurance clauses for each of the eleven rules; the 2010 to 2020 changes; what the rules do not cover.
Selling or buying on FAS terms? Follow the shipment from handover to arrival — whoever holds the number can track it.
Track a containerFAS FAQ
FAS is a bulk and breakbulk rule. The seller clears the goods for export and delivers them alongside the named vessel — on the quay or on a lighter — at the named port. From that spot the buyer pays for loading them on board, for the freight and for everything after.
Risk passes to the buyer the moment the goods are placed alongside the named vessel at the port of shipment — on the quay, not yet lifted.
The seller pays to get the cargo to the quayside; loading it on board is already the buyer’s. Export clearance is the seller’s and import duty and taxes are the buyer’s. Neither side is obliged to insure the cargo.
Whoever contracted the carriage holds the transport document, and its number is what a lookup needs. Enter a bill of lading, booking or container number in the container tracking app, an air waybill in the air cargo tracker, or make the same lookup one REST call with the API reference.