Business of Shipping Definitions Flashcards
Accommodation Ladder(gangway)
A narrow hanging staircase used by persons entering or leaving a vessel. Accommodation Ladders are usually supplied with two platforms, one at each end.
Agent
A person employed to assist with vessel logistics such as port formalities, fuel procurement, provisions, tugs and pilots, mail, crew joining and leaving, medical appointments, etc.
Ashore
On land; not aboard the ship.
Bareboat charter
A charter in which the bare ship is chartered without crew, and the charterers are fully responsible for the operation of the ship.
Bill of lading
The contract under which the goods will be carried between stated ports-and also a statement of exactly what is to be carried, in what quantities and under what conditions. Acts as a receipt.
Bulk cargoes
Bulk cargo is cargo transported unpackaged in large quantities. These cargos are usually dropped or poured, with a spout or shovel bucket, as a liquid or solid, into a bulk carrier’s hold. Bulk cargos are classified as liquid or dry.
Bunkering
Loading fuel for a vessel. The type of “bunkers” will vary depending upon the propulsion mode of the vessel. Steamships will use a heavy fuel oil, diesels use a range of fuels from heavy to light, and gas turbines generally use kerosene
Cadet
A future ship’s officer under training; either a deck cadet or an engineering cadet.
Cargo work
The loading, discharging and stowing of cargo.
Chief Mate (second in command)
The chief mate is the head of the deck department.
Consigned
Sent to the receiver, or intended to be delivered to the proper receiver.
Containers
a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products in the intermodal freight transport system. Lengths vary from 8 to 56 feet (2.438 to 17.069 m) and heights from 8 feet (2.438 m) to 9 feet 6 inches (2.896 m)
Cranes
Gantry type cranes used for loading and discharging containers.
Crew
The people who work on the ship and have signed Articles of Agreement. There is often a distinction between Officers and Crew, more so in the navy.
Deck department
One of three main departments into which a ship’s crew is divided. The other two are engine room and stewarding. The deck department is responsible for navigation, cargo, general maintenance and security.
Due diligence
The exercise of due care and attention.
Engine room
The area on board ship where the main engine(s), generators, compressors, pumps, oil purifiers and other major machinery are located. It is sometimes referred to as the “machinery space”.
Examined
Inspected
Freight forwarder
An individual or company that books or otherwise arranges space for shipments of cargo on ships or other modes of transport. Freight forwarders do not ship cargo themselves but instead arrange for its carriage by others.
Funnel marking
Identifiable company logo or symbol painted on the ship’s funnel (stack).
Hoisted
Lifted or raised by mechanical means.
Intermodal
Involving different modes of transport. The container is the key element in the system. Once filled at the factory, it can move by truck, railway, ship and vice versa without the contents ever being handled again until they reach their final destination.
Load planners
Division of the shipping company who take the cargo information such as the weight and size of the box, the destination port, the number of similar boxes consigned to the same port, and use their computer skills and maritime knowledge to determine exactly where in the ship the container will be loaded.
Main deck
The continuous deck of a ship running from fore to aft. The freeboard is measured from this deck.
Marine terminal
An assigned area of a port with facilities for loading and unloading the cargo or passengers (for cruise lines) of various types of vessels. Typically a marine terminal will also be where cargo is received, stored, and later distributed to sites outside the port. Different kinds of cargo are handled at different kinds of terminals. For example, bulk cargoes such as coal, grain, and petroleum require highly specialized facilities for their handling, while general cargo (including containerized cargo) requires adequate crane service and appropriate storage areas.
Master
Captain of the vessel. In command, and has overall responsibility for the ship, crew and cargo.
Merchant marine academy
A training institution that prepares future ship’s officers for a career at sea.
Navigation bridge
That area of a vessel where the wheelhouse and chart room are located. It is the navigating section of a vessel. The command post of a ship.
Offshore side
The side of the ship away from the dock.
Pilots
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths, possessing great local knowledge of the areas.
Ports
Harbors with piers or docks where ships can load and unload cargo. Ports often have cargo-handling equipment such as cranes and forklifts (operated by longshoremen or stevedores) for use in loading/unloading of ships.
PPE
Mandatory personal protective equipment (PPE) which must be worn on board ship.
Renewed
replaced
Refurbished
fixed up
Sail
Depart; go to sea.
Seafarers
People who make their living going to sea.
Ship chandler
Particular merchants handling ship’s stores and supplies. Sometimes handles spare parts as accommodation to ship operators.
Shipper
The person for whom the master of a ship agrees to carry cargo. Also called consignor.
Stern
The after-most part of a vessel. The stern will house the steering gear compartment and various stowage areas. It is that section of a vessel over the rudder and propeller.
Stores
A general term for provisions, materials, and supplies used aboard ship for the maintenance of the crew, and for the navigation, propulsion and upkeep of the vessel and its equipment.
Stowage
The placing of cargo in the appropriate spaces aboard the ship.
Tank-barge
Small shallow-draft vessel carrying bunkers to refuel ships. The refuelling is done from the offshore side and doesn’t interfere with cargo operations.
TEU (13,500 TEU container ship) – TEU:
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit. It is the basic standard for containers with dimensions 20ft long x 8ft wide x 8.5ft high. The maximum weight is 20 tonnes, but in most cases the loaded weight is much less because of the space the goods occupy. The majority of containers in use are 40 feet long i.e. 2TEUs, but certain models can be 45, 48 or even 53ft long. For height, they can go up to 9 ½ feet (high volume cargoes) or down to 4 ¼ feet (high density cargoes).
Trade
Generally refers to the commodity (type of cargo) being carried, but sometimes to the ship type. e.g. tanker trade, LNG trade, bulk trade, container trade.
Tramps
Ships that do not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. As opposed to liners, tramp ships trade on the spot market carrying wide varieties of cargoes all over the world.
Trial
A series of tests done to determine whether the ship or a piece of its equipment has met the specifications of design, modification, or repair.
Tugs
Boats used to help manoeuvre other vessels, primarily by towing or pushing, in harbors, over the open sea, through rivers and canals, and alongside docks. Tugs are also used to tow barges, disabled ships, or other equipment like oil platforms.
Vessel clearance
Vessels trading internationally must have clearance to enter into and depart from ports. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) provides standard forms such as declaration of stores, declaration of cargo, crew list, crew effects and passenger list to aid in this process.
Vessel management company
A company that looks after the technical operation of a vessel on behalf of the owner. This can involve crew management and logistics as well as operations, service and maintenance.
Voyage
Usually a round trip from a departure port back to the same port again, or from a ballast condition to loaded condition and back to ballast condition again.
AFT
Toward the stern of the ship.
AGROUND
Touching or fast to the bottom.
AMIDSHIPS
In or toward the center of the ship.
BEAM SEA
Sea coming on the side of the ship.
BEARING
The direction of an object expressed either as a true bearing as shown on the chart, or as a bearing relative to the heading of the ship.
BILGE
The interior of the hull at the sides where drainage is collected.
BOW
The forward part of a ship.
BROACH
The action of turning a vessel broadside to the waves.
BROADSIDE
Presenting the side of the ship.
BRIDGE
The location from which a vessel is steered and its speed controlled.
BULKHEAD
A vertical partition separating compartments.
CAPSIZE
To turn over.
DISPLACEMENT
The weight of water displaced by a floating vessel, thus, a ship’s weight.
DRAFT
The depth of water a ship draws.
FATHOM
Six feet.
FOLLOWING SEA
Sea coming on the stern.
GANGWAY
The area of a ship’s side where people board and disembark.
HEADING
The direction in which a vessel’s bow points at any given time.
HEADWAY
The forward motion of a ship. Opposite of sternway.
HEEL
Constant roll angle - such as caused by a side wind or turning of the vessel.
HELM
The wheel controlling the rudder.
HULL
The main body of a vessel.
KEEL
The centerline of a ship running fore and aft; the backbone of a vessel.
KNOT
A measure of speed equal to one nautical mile (6076 feet) per hour.
LEE
The side sheltered from the wind.
LEEWARD
The direction away from the wind. Opposite of windward.
LEEWAY
The sideways movement of the ship caused by either wind or current.
MIDSHIP
Approximately in the location equally distant from the bow and stern.
NAUTICAL MILE
One minute of latitude; approximately 6076 feet: about 1/8 longer than the statute mile of 5280 feet.
PORT
The left side of a ship looking forward.
QUARTER
The sides of a ship aft of amidships.
QUARTERING SEA
Sea coming on a ship’s quarter
SEAWORTHY
Able to meet the usual sea conditions.
SOUNDING
A measurement of the depth of water in a tank.
STARBOARD
The right side of a ship when looking forward.
STEM
The forward most part of the bow.
STERN
The after part of the ship.
WAKE
Moving waves, track or path that a ship leaves behind it, when moving through the water.
WAY
Movement of a vessel through the water such as headway, sternway or leeway.
WINDWARD
Toward the direction from which the wind is coming.
YAW
To swing or steer off course, as when running with a quartering sea.
Box
Another (less formal) name for a shipping container. This is how they are often referred to in the industry.
Brake horsepower
a common unit of power, the rate at which work is done. The power of cars and other motors of engine-driven vehicles, including container ships, is often measured in brake horsepower.
Break bulk
loose cargo, such as cartons, stowed directly in the ship’s hold as opposed to containerized or bulk cargo. The volume of break bulk cargo has declined dramatically worldwide as containerization has grown.
Carrier
any individual, company or corporation engaged in transporting goods. Container shipping lines are sometimes referred to as ocean carriers.
Charter rate
a rate for shipping freight agreed upon between the owner of a vessel and the person wanting to use the vessel (the ‘charterer’).
CO2 emissions
abbreviation for carbon dioxide emissions. CO2 results from the burning of fossil fuels such as petroleum. It is broadly considered to be a factor contributing to global warming.
Container terminal
a docking, unloading and loading area within a port designed to suit the sizes and needs of container ships.
FEU
‘Forty-foot Equivalent Unit’. This is a container that is the same height and width as a TEU but twice the length. As a result, it has twice the capacity.
Freight rates
The charge made by a shipping line for the transportation of freight aboard one of its ships from one place to another.
Gantry crane
a type of crane used to load and unload container ships. It lifts objects with a hoist and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails.
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
prescribes the numbers of lifeboats and other emergency equipment that ships must have, as well as safety procedures including continuous radio watches when a ship is at sea.
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. It was the ISO that prescribed the standard size of shipping containers to make global container trade more efficient.
International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code)
a code agreed between the signatories of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and Coast Guard agencies. The Code was introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the overseer of the original SOLAS agreement, in the wake of fears of terrorist attacks on ships and ports after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.
Maiden voyage
the very first journey a ship makes after being delivered from the ship-yard.
Manifest
a list of cargo being carried by a ship as declared by the shipper.
Pallet
a term used for a load-carrying platform onto which loose cargo is stacked before being placed inside a container. It is designed to be moved easily by fork-lift trucks.
Reefer
Industry term for a temperature-controlled container. Inside each one is a complex system of coils, wires and electrical fittings, which are managed by a computer that controls everything from the temperature and humidity to ventilation and gas levels, all working to prevent the deterioration of fresh food or other sensitive goods over long distances and periods of time.
US Customs - Trade Partner Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)
a voluntary supply chain security program led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and focused on improving the security of companies’ supply chains with respect to terrorism.
World Customs Organization (WCO)
an intergovernmental organization comprised of customs administrations from 170 countries who participate to communicate and co-operate on customs issues.
