Operations Vocabulary
Shipping Terms
Complete maritime shipping vocabulary reference with searchable terms used in operations, compliance, and port logistics.
Showing 25 of 392 terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| DECKHAND | Seaman who works on the deck of a ship and remains in the wheelhouse attending to the orders of the duty officers during navigation and manoeuvering. He also comes under the direct orders of the bosun. |
| DEEP SEA TRADES | The traffic routes of both cargo and passenger vessels which are regularly engaged on the high seas or on long voyages. |
| DEEP STOWAGE | Any bulk, bagged or other type of cargo stowed in single hold ships. |
| DEMISE CHARTER | See Bareboat Charter. |
| DESPATCH | Time saved, reward for quick turnaround of a ship |
| DEVIATION | Vessel departure from specified voyage course |
| DISABLED SHIP | When a ship is unable to sail efficiently or in a seaworthy state as a result of engine trouble, lack of officers or crew, damage to the hull or ship's gear. |
| DISCHARGES | An essential document for officers and seamen as it serves an official certificate confirming sea experience in the employment for which he was engaged. |
| DOD | Department of Defense. |
| DOE | Department of Energy |
| DOMESTIC OFFSHORE TRADES | Domestic shipping routes serving Alaska and non-continental U.S. States and territories. DOT - Department of Transportation. |
| DOUBLE BOTTOM | General term for all watertight spaces contained between the outside bottom plating, the tank top and the margin plate. The double bottoms are sub-divided into a number of separate tanks which may contain boiler feed water, drinking water, fuel oil, ballast, etc. |
| DRAFT | The depth of a ship in the water. The vertical distance between the waterline and the keel, in the U.S. expressed in feet, elsewhere in meters. |
| DRILL SHIP | Regular ship shaped vessel, production ship. Positioned by anchors or dynamic positioning. Has its own propulsion machinery. |
| DRILLING UNIT | Fitted with drilling rig (oil derrick with rotary drill and a mud pumping system), drilling for petroleum. |
| DRY CARGO | Merchandise other than liquid carried in bulk. |
| DRY CARGO SHIP | Vessel which carriers all merchandise, excluding liquid in bulk. |
| DRY DOCK | An enclosed basin into which a ship is taken for underwater cleaning and repairing. It is fitted with water tight entrance gates which when closed permit the dock to be pumped dry. |
| DUAL PURPOSE SHIP | Specially constructed ship able to carry different types of cargoes such as ore and/or oil. |
| DUNNAGE | A term applied to loose wood or other material used in a ship's hold for the protection of cargo. |
| DWAT | Deadweight all told (DWAT) or the gross deadweight tonnage of a vessel expresses the quantity of goods that the vessel can load, including provisions, lubricant and fuels. |
| DWCC | Deadweight Cargo Capacity (DWCC), or the net deadweight tonnage of a vessel, only expresses how much pure cargo can be loaded, without provisions, lubricant and fuels for the vessel |
| ECA | Emission Control Area |
| EEC | European Economic Community. |
| ENTRY | A customs form used for the clearance of ships or merchandise. |