Manifest (transportation)

A manifest or ship's manifest is a document listing the cargo, passengers, and crew of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle, for the use of customs and other officials. Where such a list is limited to identifying passengers, it is a passenger manifest or passenger list; conversely, such a list limited to identifying cargo is a cargo manifest or cargo list. The manifest may be used by people having an interest in the transport to ensure that passengers and cargo listed as having been placed on board the transport at the beginning of its passage continue to be on board when it arrives at its destination.

Uses

Customs & Excise

The customs authorities may require cargo carrying vessels or vehicles to provide information on the manifest such as its consignor, consignee, quantity of goods, origin, destination and value.[1]

Archaeology

Manifests can be useful tools for archaeology. For example, researchers used old ship's manifests to recreate the available amenities in their restoration of the historic Custom House Plaza in Monterey, California,[2] which was built in 1821 and remains the oldest public building in California.

References

  1. ↑ Business Dictionary.com, "Manifest", retrieved 23 May 2013
  2. ↑ Maxine Cass, Northern California Off the Beaten Path, 8th: A Guide to Unique Places (2009), p. 78.

See also

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Manifest.