MLC 2006, SOLAS, MARPOL, ISPS, ISM, STCW, UNCLOS, charter parties, P&I.
93 terms in this category.
- AFS Convention
International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships (2001).
- Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM Convention)
The 2004 IMO convention requiring ships to manage ballast water to prevent transfer of invasive aquatic species between regions.
- Ballast Water Record Book (BWRB)
A mandatory log recording all ballast water uptake, treatment, exchange, and discharge operations under the BWM Convention.
- Bareboat Charter
Demise charter where charterer takes full operational control, including crewing and maintenance, for a fixed period.
- Bill of Lading (B/L)
A legal document issued by a carrier acknowledging receipt of cargo for shipment, serving as a receipt, title document, and contract of carriage.
- Bill of Lading — Types
Order, bearer, straight, sea waybill — distinguishes how title/possession transfers and whether the document is negotiable.
- Bridge Log
A watchkeeping record maintained on the bridge detailing courses steered, speed, weather conditions, and watch handovers.
- Call Sign
An ITU-assigned alphanumeric identifier used to identify a vessel during radio communications.
- Certificate of Competency (CoC)
Statutory licence issued by a flag state under STCW certifying a seafarer's qualification for a deck or engine rank.
- Certificate of Proficiency (CoP)
STCW certificate for ratings and supporting-level functions (e.g., AB, RFPNW, fast-rescue boat).
- Certificate of Registry
An official document issued by the flag state confirming the vessel's registration, nationality, and ownership details.
- Charter Party (C/P)
A contract between a shipowner and a charterer for the hire of a vessel or cargo space, setting out terms and conditions of the voyage.
- Classification Society
A non-governmental organisation that establishes and verifies structural and mechanical standards for ship construction and maintenance.
- Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR)
Statutory document recording the history of a ship's flag, name, owner, ISM company and class society.
- Contract of Affreightment (COA)
Long-term contract obliging the carrier to lift a stated quantity of cargo over a defined period using nominated tonnage.
- Deck Log
The official daily record of the ship's position, weather, incidents, crew changes, and navigational events kept by deck officers.
- Demurrage
A penalty charge payable by the charterer when a vessel is kept at the loading or discharging berth beyond the agreed laytime.
- Document of Compliance (DOC)
A certificate issued to a shipping company confirming its Safety Management System meets ISM Code requirements.
- Emission Control Area (ECA)
A sea area designated under MARPOL Annex VI where stricter limits on sulfur and NOx emissions from ships apply.
- Engine Log
The official daily record maintained by the engine department of machinery performance, fuel consumption, and maintenance events.
- Equasis
A free public database providing safety-related information on commercial vessels including inspection history, class, and owner details.
- Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
A sea zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline where it has sovereign rights over resources.
- FIO / FIOST
Free-In-and-Out (FIO) and Free-In-Out-Stowed-Trimmed (FIOST) clauses placing cargo handling cost / responsibility on the charterer.
- Flag of Convenience (FOC)
Registration of a vessel in a country offering lower taxes or less strict regulations than the owner's home nation.
- Garbage Record Book (GRB)
A mandatory log recording all garbage disposal and incineration operations on board, required under MARPOL Annex V.
- GENCON
BIMCO general voyage charter party (1994 / 2022 revisions); industry-standard for dry-cargo voyage employment.
- General Average (GA)
Maritime law principle: voluntary sacrifice or expense made for the common safety of vessel and cargo is shared proportionally by all interests.
- Hague-Visby Rules
The amended 1924 Hague Rules governing carrier liability for cargo under bills of lading, widely incorporated into national law.
- Hamburg Rules
The 1978 UN convention on the carriage of goods by sea, placing greater liability on carriers than the Hague-Visby Rules.
- Hours of Rest
Minimum 10 h rest in any 24 h and 77 h in any 7 days, as required by STCW VIII/1 and MLC 2006.
- Hull & Machinery Insurance (H&M)
Marine insurance covering the vessel itself against perils of the sea, fire, collision, etc.
- IGF Code
International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels.
- IMDG Code
International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code — mandatory packaging, marking, segregation, and stowage rules for DG in packaged form.
- IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap
Global cap on marine fuel sulphur content reduced to 0.50% mass on 1 January 2020 (0.10% in ECAs).
- IMO GHG Strategy
IMO 2023 strategy targeting net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping 'by or around' 2050, with checkpoints for 2030 and 2040.
- IMO Number
A unique seven-digit identifier assigned to a ship for life, used to track its history regardless of flag, owner, or name changes.
- Innocent Passage
The right of foreign ships to navigate through a coastal state's territorial sea continuously and without prejudice to its peace or security.
- International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
A body of twelve major classification societies that collectively establish and promote uniform technical standards for ship construction and maintenance.
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)
The main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the sea by ships from operational and accidental causes.
- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
The primary IMO convention setting minimum safety standards for ship construction, equipment, and operation.
- International Group of P&I Clubs (IGP&I)
Association of 12 mutual P&I clubs sharing claims via a pooling/reinsurance arrangement covering ~90% of world tonnage.
- International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs)
IMO rules prescribing conduct of vessels to prevent collisions, including lights, shapes, sound signals, and steering rules.
- International Safety Management Code (ISM Code)
IMO code requiring shipping companies to establish a Safety Management System to ensure safe ship operation and pollution prevention.
- International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code)
IMO code mandating security plans, officers, and assessments for ships and port facilities to prevent terrorism and unlawful acts.
- Letter of Indemnity (LOI)
Written undertaking — typically by charterer to owner — to indemnify against losses arising from delivering cargo without original bill of lading.
- Lloyd's Open Form (LOF)
Standard salvage agreement on 'no cure, no pay' basis administered by Lloyd's Salvage Arbitration Branch.
- Load Line Certificate
A certificate assigned by the flag state or classification society specifying the minimum freeboard and maximum loading depth for each zone.
- Loss of Hire Insurance (LOH)
Insurance covering loss of charter hire when the vessel is off-hire due to a covered H&M peril.
- Loss Prevention Circular
Bulletin issued by P&I Clubs to highlight emerging claim trends and recommend operational improvements.
- Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC)
ILO convention establishing minimum working, living, and social security standards for seafarers worldwide.
- MARPOL Annex I
The annex of MARPOL regulating prevention of pollution by oil, covering operational discharges and accidental spills from ships.
- MARPOL Annex II
The annex of MARPOL controlling discharge of noxious liquid substances carried in bulk, applicable to chemical tankers.
- MARPOL Annex III
Regulations for the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried at sea in packaged form.
- MARPOL Annex V
The annex of MARPOL governing disposal of garbage from ships, prohibiting most plastics discharge into the sea.
- MARPOL Annex VI
The annex of MARPOL setting limits on sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and other air pollutant emissions from ships.
- Minimum Safe Manning
Flag-state-issued document specifying the minimum manning by rank/qualification for safe operation of the ship.
- MLC Financial Security — Abandonment
MLC 2014 amendment requiring shipowners to maintain insurance/financial security for repatriation, wages, and essential needs of abandoned seafarers.
- MMSI Number (MMSI)
A nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity used to identify a ship's radio and AIS transmissions uniquely.
- Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention
International convention (entered into force 2015) that gives coastal states the right and obligation to remove hazardous wrecks in their EEZ at the registered owner's expense.
- NYPE Charter
New York Produce Exchange standard time charter form, widely used for dry-cargo time charters.
- Oil Record Book (ORB)
A mandatory log in which all oil-related operations including bilge pumping and bunkering must be recorded under MARPOL Annex I.
- P&I Club
Mutual insurance association covering shipowners' third-party liabilities (cargo claims, pollution, crew, collision liability not covered by H&M).
- P&I Correspondent
Local agent appointed by a P&I Club to assist members with on-the-spot incidents (claims, surveys, casualty response) in a specific port.
- Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU)
A regional port state control arrangement covering European and North Atlantic waters with 27 member maritime authorities.
- Particular Average
Loss falling on a single interest (ship or cargo) without contribution from others; opposite of general average.
- Places of Refuge
Sheltered locations where a ship in distress can be moved to stabilise, transfer cargo, or undergo emergency repair, granted by coastal-state authorities.
- Polar Code
IMO mandatory code (2017) governing ship design, equipment, and operations in Arctic and Antarctic waters.
- Polar Ship Certificate
Statutory certificate confirming the ship meets Polar Code Category A, B, or C requirements.
- Port State Control (PSC)
Inspection regime where a coastal nation's surveyors inspect foreign vessels in its ports for compliance with international conventions.
- RightShip
A third-party maritime risk-assessment platform providing GHG ratings and vetting inspections used by cargo owners to screen vessels.
- Rotterdam Rules
The 2008 UN convention on contracts for international carriage of goods wholly or partly by sea, modernising earlier cargo liability regimes.
- Safety Management Certificate (SMC)
A certificate issued to a ship confirming its Safety Management System is operating in accordance with the ISM Code.
- Salvage Award
Sum payable to salvors fixed by tribunal/court, considering value salved, danger, skill, and prevention of environmental damage.
- SCOPIC Clause
Special Compensation P&I Club clause attached to Lloyd's Open Form (LOF) salvage agreements, replacing the unworkable Article 14 of the Salvage Convention 1989.
- Sea Waybill
Non-negotiable transport document acting as cargo receipt and contract of carriage, delivered to the named consignee on identification.
- Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA)
Written contract between seafarer and shipowner required by MLC 2006; sets terms of employment, repatriation, leave, and complaint procedures.
- Shelltime
Shell-issued tanker time charter party form, currently Shelltime 4 (1984, amended 2003).
- SOLAS Chapter III
The chapter of SOLAS covering life-saving appliance requirements including lifeboats, liferafts, immersion suits, and drills.
- SOLAS Chapter IX
The chapter of SOLAS making the ISM Code mandatory for ships, requiring companies to hold a Document of Compliance.
- SOLAS Chapter V
The chapter of SOLAS dealing with safety of navigation, requiring ECDIS, AIS, VDR, pilot ladders, and bridge watchkeeping standards.
- SOx Emission Control Area
Designated sea area where 0.10% sulphur cap applies — Baltic, North Sea, North America, US Caribbean, Mediterranean (from 2025).
- Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)
International convention setting minimum training, certification, and watchkeeping standards for merchant ship officers and crew.
- STCW Flag Endorsement
Document issued by a flag state recognising another state's STCW CoC for service on its flag — often called a 'flag endorsement' or 'recognition endorsement'.
- STCW Medical Fitness Certificate
Medical certificate confirming a seafarer meets STCW Reg. I/9 and ILO MLC standards for vision, hearing, and general health.
- Subrogation
Insurer's right, after paying a claim, to step into the insured's shoes and pursue recovery from the wrongdoer.
- Territorial Waters
The belt of coastal waters extending up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline over which a coastal state has full sovereignty.
- Time Charter
Charter party hiring the vessel for a fixed period; charterer directs employment, owner provides crew/insurance/maintenance.
- Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding (Tokyo MOU)
A regional port state control arrangement covering the Asia-Pacific region, established in 1993 with 21 member authorities.
- Tonnage Certificate
A statutory certificate stating a ship's gross and net tonnage calculated under the International Tonnage Convention 1969.
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
The international treaty defining rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's oceans, including maritime zones.
- Voyage Charter
Charter party where the shipowner places the vessel at the charterer's disposal for one specified voyage at an agreed freight rate.
- WIBON
'Whether In Berth Or Not' — clause allowing NOR to be tendered before the vessel reaches the berth.
- York-Antwerp Rules
International rules governing the calculation and apportionment of general average; current versions YAR 1994, 2016.