generally speaking the word amidships means in the middle portion of a vessel.

tanker in the 75-120,000-deadweight size range.

at or towards the stern or rear of a ship. Also referred to as abaft.

touching the bottom.

the settling of disputes between parties who agree not to go before courts, but rather to accept as final the decision of experts of their choice, in a place of their choice, usually subject to laws agreed upon in advance and usually under rules which avoid much of the formality, niceties, proof and procedure required by the courts.

at or towards the stern or rear of a ship.

the decision reached by arbitrators in arbitration.

person who is nominated to settle a dispute arising from contract. He or she may be a professional arbitrator or a commercial person. Shipping contracts which call for arbitrationin the event of a dispute ,as opposed to litigation, often stipulate that the arbitrator appointed must be a commercial person or a person experienced in shipping.

heavy weight, often seawater, which gives a ship stability and improves handling when she is not carrying cargo. Such a ship is said to be steaming in ballast.

flat-bottomed boat for carrying cargo on protected waterways, usually without engines or crew accommodations.On inland river systems barges can be lashed together and either pushed or pulled by tugs and handle cargo of 60,000 tonnes or more. Small barges for carrying cargo between ship and shore are known as lighters.

the width of a ship. Also called breadth.

place alongside a quay where a ship loads or discharges cargo, or in the case of a lay-by berth, waits until a loading or discharging berth is available. This term is also frequently used to signify places alongside a quay each of which is capable of accommodating only one ship at a time.

originally called a "bill of loading", a bill of lading is not necessarily the complete contract of carriage of goods but is usually the best evidence of the contract. It is as well, a receipt signed by the master or on his behalf indicating in what apparent order and condition the goods have been received on board. Finally, it is also a document of title and thus a document of transfer, but not a negotiable instrument. It is usually a standard form contract, prepared and issued by the carrier or his agent.

the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is based in Copenhagen and has been in operation since 1905. It is a group of shipowners, brokers, agents, clubs and others interested in carriage by sea and unite them in promoting proper shipping practices and in opposing objectionable and unfair import charges, claims, etc.

a vessel carrying dry, liquid, grain, not packaged, bundled or bottled cargo, and is loaded without marks & number or count.

heavy oil used as fuel for ocean vessels.

bulk carrier of over 80,000 tonnes deadweight, not able to transit the Suez Canal or Panama Canal so must round the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn.

goods carried in or on a ship.

lifting device attached to a crane. The basic operation is the tensioning of grips placed in or around the cargo to be lifted.

are institutions (often non-profit), which inspect, study and report on the seaworthiness and the general and particular condition of individual ships. They also often perform port state control inspections. Finally, they may provide surveying services to national maritime administrations by contract with the governments of those countries. They issue a certificate of �class� of the ship.

any accident involving two or more vessels which causes loss or damage even if no actual contact has taken place.

a receptacle designed to transport cargo of many types in continuous transportation.

group of ships escorted along a stretch of water.

machine for lifting and moving heavy weights. Cranes may be mobile, floating or fixed to the shore or to the deck of a ship. Operationally, the important features are the maximum allowable lift, referred to as the safe working load (SWL) and the outreach or distance outwards, which the crane can reach for picking up or putting down cargo.

a sum of damages payable by the charterer to the shipowner or intermediate charterer where the charterer loads less cargo than promised in the charter party.

measured in tons. It is principally the sum of the cargo capacity of a ship, fuel on board, fresh water, stores, crew and effects plus constants (weight which cannot be removed from the tanks or the double bottoms of a ship like mud etc.). Deadweight = displacement minus light ship.

whenever a ship is delivered on time charter, a certificate of deliver is drawn up and signed by the master and the owners' and charterers' representatives. The same procedure is followed during redelivery of the ship.

speed (v), or send off/discharge a vessel or cargo in less than the time allowed.

the weight of the ship in fully loaded condition.

to remove goods from a ship.

an enclosed basin into which a ship is taken for underwater cleaning and repairing. It is fitted with watertight entrance gates which when closed permit the dock to be pumped dry. Sometimes has two or more compartments separated by watertight doors. Dry docks are also referred to as Graving Docks.

along the route of movement.

is the time when the vessel is expected to arrive at the port of loading or discharging. It is usually followed by the expression 'weather permitting' (wp).

full container load.

object used to keep a vessel away from, for example, a quay wall. These fenders may be of any material which is capable of absorbing shocks and thus protect the vessel’s plating; these would include rope ,wood , and pneumatic tires.

amount of money paid to the shipowner or shipping line for the carriage of cargo. Sometimes used to denote cargo.

type of crane equipped with a grab, a mechanical device which is lowered into a ship to grab or grip the cargo. It is used to discharge bulk cargoes such as coal, ore and phosphates from the ship’s holds into hoppers and thence to conveyor belts leading to stockpiles or vehicle loading bays.

The volumetric cargo capacity of the ship according to its certificate of registry.

is the actual carrying capacity of the ship's hull below the upper deck, in cubic feet, divided by 100.

the full weight of a shipment, including goods and packaging.

contact by the ship with the bottom while the ship is moored or anchored as a result of the water level dropping.

1924 International Convention on Carriage of Goods by Sea. These rules govern liability for loss or damage to goods carried by sea under a bill of lading.

1968 Revision of Hague Rules.

in March 1978 an international conference in Hamburg adopted a new set of rules (The Hamburg Rules), which radically alter the liability which shipowners have to bear for loss or damage to goods in the courts of those nations where the rules apply.

a general name for the large compartments below the main deck designated for stowage of general cargo.

horse power.

the body of a vessel exclusive of masts, yards, sails, rigging, machinery and equipment.

maintenance and repair of a ship.

ship whose hull is specially strengthened to enable her to crush ice using her own weight in order to make a passage sufficient for other ships to navigate.

said of equipment or of a ship for which there is no work for a particular period.

code adopted by the International Maritime Organization, containing measures to enhance maritime security and safety. Effective July 2004, in contracting states, the code requires ships to have security plan, dedicated security personnel and a security certificate. The Code applies to ships of 500 tonnes and above. Port facilities also required to have security procedures. International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention

adopted by the IMO in 1998, the ISM Code became mandatory. The Code establishes safety-management objectives and requires a safety management system (SMS) to be established by "the Company", which is defined as the shipowner or any person, such as the manager or bareboat charterer, who has assumed responsibility for operating the ship.

formerly Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), is an agency of the United Nations based in London, concerned with safety at sea. Its work includes codes and rules relating to tonnage measurement of ships, load lines and the safe carriage of grain.

consists of qualified salvors who provide essential services for the world's maritime and insurance communities. Members are engaged in marine casualty response, pollution defence, wreck removal, cargo recovery, towage and related activities.

a business undertaking in which more than one firm share ownership and control of production and/or marketing.

measure of speed of a ship, equal to one nautical mile.

charge for conveying cargo by lighters or barges.

conveying cargo with another vessel known as a lighter from ship to shore, or vice versa.

a parent organization, which is the world's leading classification society. The Register of Ships contains details of some 83,000 merchant ships from around the world.

is the most widely used "no cure-no pay" salvage contract. In return for salvage services, the salvor receives a proportion of the "salved value" (the value of the ship, its bunkers and cargo). Traditionally, reward depends upon success and the recovery of property. In the past, if there was no recovery, there was no payment, whatever the expense of the operation. This has changed in recent years, to reflect the public interest in prevention of damage to the environment. The salvor can now contract in such a way that he is shielded from loss when responding to high risk or low value casualties.

log books, an ancient practice of keeping a record of a vessel's voyage. Log books are intended to be an accurate record of the sip's activities-such as her position, speed and details of the weather- and are chiefly important in a legal context in legal proceedings, particularly courts of inquiry into shipping casualties.

loss prevention.

device attached to a crane, which is used for lifting scrap iron.

insurance covering loss or damage of goods at sea. Typically, marine insurance will compensate the merchandise owners for losses sustained from fire, shipwreck, piracy, and various other causes. However, this excludes losses,

weight of the goods only, not including their package.

provision in a salvage agreement that salvage money is not payable unless the property is salved in accordance with that agreement.

notice given by the master of the ship, informing shippers or receivers (usually through the agents) that the ship is ready to commence loading or discharging operations.

under a time charter and in case of breakdown of engines / winches or in case of dry-dock or any other reason which may render the vessel inefficient for a period of time, it is usually agreed that hire shall cease (the ship will be of hire) until she is efficient again.

a list which shows not only the information necessary for transport, but also the number and kinds of items being shipped.

low portable platform, usually wooden, on which cargo is stacked for storage or transportation; a skid.

ship capable of transiting the Panama Canal.

fortuitous accidents or casualties, peculiar to transportation on a navigable water, such as stranding, sinking, collision of the vessel, striking a submerged object, or encountering heavy weather or other unusual forces of nature

person who is qualified to assist the master of a ship to navigate when entering or leaving a port.

port, not a ship’s itinerary, which she calls at because of some unforeseen hazard at sea and where she may undergo repairs, refuel, or rescue cargo to enable her to continue her voyage.

is the procedure whereby governments examine a percentage of ships, which visit their shores, in order to ensure that those ships meet international safety and environmental standards.

transportable self-contained refrigeration unit powered by its own generator.

association of shipowners, who, by means of contributions known as calls, provide mutual protection against liabilities not covered by insurance, such as claims for injury to crew and loss or damage to cargo.

solid structure alongside a navigable waterway to which ships are moored for loading and disc arching.

return of a ship to the shipowner ay the end of the period of the charter. Abbreviated redly.

refrigerated ship.

refers to an operation to afloat again usually stranded ships.

system of loading and discharging a ship whereby the cargo is driven on and off ramps. A ship designed to handle cargo in this way is known as Roll-on roll-off ship or Ro-ro ship.

said of a ship, to touch the bottom.

remuneration paid to a person who saves a ship, her equipment or cargo from loss or damage at sea. The amount is assessed by a court law according to the value of the salved property, the degree of danger to which it is exposed, the risks borne by the salvor and the degree of skill exercised in saving the property. All the parties contribute in proportion to the value of their salved property.

the compensation which is payable to a salvor, pursuant to a salvage award.

action taken to save a ship, her equipment or cargo from loss or damage at sea.

to save a ship, her equipment or cargo from loss or damage at sea.

person performing a salvage operation.

the "Special Compensation P. & I. Club Clause" ("SCOPIC Clause") refers to the agreement, which first became effective August 1, 1999, between members of the International Salvage Union (I.S.U.), the International Group of P. & I. Clubs , and certain property underwriters, providing a mechanism for remunerating salvors on the basis of a fixed tariff of daily rates for tugs, equipment and personnel used, rather than by arbitration on the basis provided by arts. 13 and 14 of the Salvage Convention 1989. The SCOPIC Clause, slightly reworded, is now an optional clause which may be incorporated by the salvor into LOF 2000, (Lloyd's Standard Form of Salvage Agreement, in effect September 1, 2000), whereby the salvor may request guaranteed remuneration thereafter, instead of a "no cure/no pay" salvage reward.

ability of a ship for a particular voyage with a particular cargo. It also refers to the obligation of shipowners and carriers to provide a vessel and crew fit to confront the perils of the sea.

refers to movements or changing positions of cargo from one place to another - a dangerous situation at sea that can easily endanger the seaworthiness or cargo worthiness of the ship.

Safety of Life at Sea.

said of a ship, to cease moving as a result of touching the bottom.

the right-hand side of a ship when facing the front or forward end. The starboard side of a ship during darkness is indicated by a green light

the forward- most part of a ship at the point where the ship’s sides meet the bows.

the bow or rear of the ship; an upright post or bar of the bow of a vessel.

the reverse movement of a vessel.

a marine term referring to loading freight into the ships' holds.

the unloading of a container.

ship-to-shore crane.

ship-to-ship transfer.

maximum size of ship of certain categories capable of transiting the Suez Canal.The most common is the suezmax tanker of 120-200,000 tonnes deadweight. There is also a suezmax containership, which has a container capacity of about 12,000 TEUS.

safe working load

the extreme section at the aft end of a ship's propeller shaft.

a tanker is a bulk carrier designed to transport liquid cargo, most often petroleum products. Oil tankers vary in size from small coastal vessels of 1,000 tons deadweight, through medium-sized ship of 60,000 tons to the giant VLCCs (very large crude carriers).

total deadweight

twenty foot equivalent.

transfer of goods from one ship to another . This transfer may be direct or it may be necessary to discharge the goods on to the quay prior to loading them on the second ship , or on to vehicles should the second ship be loading at a different berth.

the relationship between a ship's draughts forward and aftght of 24,6m.

quantity of cargo ,normally expressed as a number of tonnes or tons.

an actual total loss of the vessel or such damage to the vessel that the cost of saving and repairing her would exceed her market value at the time of the collision.

is a contract whereby one ship moves another. Towage, as opposed to salvage, is a service contract, which does not involve a marine peril, and the consideration is an hourly or daily rate or a lump sum, rather than a salvage reward based on the peril, the work accomplished and the value of the object salved.

new generation of container ship with container capacity between 12,000-14,000 TEUS.

 giant tanker of no official size but variously described as being one between 350,000- 550,000 tonnes deadweight.

 very large tanker of no official size but variously described as being one between 100,000- 350,000 tonnes deadweight.

LPG carrier in the 70,000- 86,000 cubic metre capacity class.

 weight

weather permitting