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 |
|---|---|
| FREIGHT RATE | The charge made for the transportation of freight. |
| FRUSTRATION | Charterers when cancelling agreement sometimes quote 'doctrine of frustration' i.e. vessel is lost, extensive delays . |
| GANGWAY | A narrow portable platform used as a passage, by persons entering or leaving a vessel moored alongside a pier or quay. |
| GAS TANKER | Specially designed for the transport of condensed (liquefied) gases. The most important gases are: ammonia, ethylene, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), which consists mainly of methane, and is cooled to a temperature of minus 163 degrees Celcius, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) such as butane and propane. |
| GATF | General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product: The total value of goods and services produced by a nation over a given period, usually 1 year. |
| GENERAL CARGO | A non-bulk oil cargo composed of miscellaneous goods. |
| GEOGRAPHICAL ROTATION | Ports in order of calling |
| GNP | Gross National Product: GDP plus the net income accruing from foreign sources. |
| GOVERNMENT IMPELLED | Cargo owned by or subsidized by the Federal Government. |
| GRAIN CAPACITY | Cubic capacity in 'grain GREAT LAKES PORTS - Ports in the lakes of Canada and/or USA popular for grain shipments. In Canada: Port Arthur and Fort William in Lake Superior; Hamilton, Kingston, Toronto and Prescott in Lake Ontario. In USA: Chicago, Milwaukee in Lake Michigan; Duluth and Superior in Lake Superior and Toledo in Lake Erie. |
| GREAT LAKES SHIP | Cargo ship developed to carry raw materials and manufactured goods on the Great Lakes. Most carry bulk cargoes of grain, iron ore or coal. |
| GROSS AND NET TONNAGE (GT and NT) | Gross tonnage is the basis on which manning rules and safety regulations are applied, and registration fees are reckoned. Port fees are also often reckoned on the basis of GT and NT. GT and NT are defined according to formulas which take account, among other things, of the volume of the vessel's enclosed spaces (GT) and the volume of its holds (NT). |
| GROSS FREIGHT | Freight money collected or to be collected without calculating the expenses relating to the running cost of the ship for the voyage undertaken. |
| GROSS REGISTERED TONS | A common measurement of the internal volume of a ship with certain spaces excluded. One ton equals 100 cubic feet; the total of all the enclosed spaces within a ship expressed in tons each of which is equivalent to 100 cubic feet. |
| GROUNDING | Deliberate contact by a ship with the bottom while she is moored or anchored as a result of the water level dropping. |
| GSS | Global Scrubber Spread. |
| HAGUE RULES | Code of minimum conditions for the carriage of cargo under a bill of lading |
| HARBOR DUES | Various local charges against all seagoing vessels entering a harbor, to cover maintenance of channel depths, buoys, lights, etc. all harbors do not necessarily have this charge. |
| HARBOR MASTER | A person usually having the experience of a certificated master mariner and having a good knowledge of the characteristics of the port and its whole area. He administers the entire shipping movements that take place in and within reach of the port he is responsible for. |
| HARD AGROUND | A vessel which has gone aground and is incapable of refloating under her own power. |
| HARD CURRENCY | A currency which is sound enough to be accepted internationally and which is usually fully convertible |
| HARTER ACT (1893) | This U.S. statute refers to merchandise or property transported from or between ports of the United States and foreign ports. Now partially superseded by the US Carriage of Goods by Sea Act of 1936 |
| HATCH | An opening, generally rectangular, in a ship's deck affording access into the compartment below. |
| HAWSER | Large strong rope used for towing purposes and for securing or mooring ships. Hawsers are now mostly made of steel. |