Port-state control, surveys, dry-docking, lay-up, NOR, demurrage.
71 terms in this category.
- Anchorage
A designated area with suitable holding ground where a vessel anchors to wait for a berth, tide, or clearance.
- Annual Survey
A classification inspection conducted each year to confirm that a vessel's hull and equipment remain in a satisfactory condition.
- Berth
A designated position at a wharf or quay where a vessel moors to load or discharge cargo or embark passengers.
- Bridge Resource Management (BRM)
Non-technical-skills training in bridge teamwork, communication, decision-making, and human-factors error prevention.
- Bunkering
The operation of taking fuel oil aboard a vessel, requiring careful monitoring of quantities, trim, and pollution prevention measures.
- Carbon Intensity Indicator Rating (CII)
Operational efficiency rating A–E assigned annually to ships >5,000 GT under MARPOL Annex VI.
- Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI)
Chemical-tanker equivalent of SIRE: independent ship inspection scheme used by chemical major vetting departments.
- Cold Lay-up
A long-term idling of a vessel with systems shut down and crew reduced to a minimum, used when reactivation is uncertain.
- Combination Ladder
A pilot boarding arrangement combining a pilot ladder below with an accommodation ladder above to accommodate height differences.
- Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC)
Time-limited PSC focus area (e.g., crew familiarisation, ballast water management) coordinated across MoUs.
- Data Collection System (DCS)
IMO mandatory annual reporting of fuel oil consumption for ships >5,000 GT, used to support CII and EEXI.
- Deep Water Route
A route within defined limits, surveyed and confirmed to have sufficient depth, designated for use by vessels requiring deep draught.
- Deepwater Port
Port with sufficient draft (typically >= 14 m) to accept VLCC, ULCC, ULCV, and Capesize vessels.
- Disbursement Account (DA)
Itemised statement from the port agent listing all charges incurred during a port call.
- Dispatch
A payment made by the shipowner to the charterer for completing loading or discharging operations before the agreed laytime expires.
- Docking Survey
An in-water or drydock inspection of the hull, rudder, propeller, and sea valves required by classification societies every two to five years.
- Drydock
A scheduled period when a vessel is taken out of service and placed in a dry facility for hull inspection, maintenance, and repairs.
- ECDIS Type-Specific Training
Equipment-manufacturer training required in addition to generic ECDIS familiarisation under STCW.
- Engine Room Resource Management (ERM)
Engine-room equivalent of BRM — teamwork, communication, fatigue management, situational awareness for engineers.
- Flag State Inspection
An official inspection of a vessel carried out by or on behalf of the flag administration to verify compliance with its regulations.
- Floating Dock
A pontoon structure that can be submerged to receive a vessel then raised to lift it clear of the water for repair work.
- Free Pratique
Permission granted by port health authorities for a vessel to interact with shore after confirming no quarantinable disease aboard.
- Freight Forwarder
Agent that arranges transportation of goods on behalf of the shipper; may issue house bills of lading.
- Garbage Management Plan
MARPOL Annex V required document setting procedures for collection, segregation, storage, processing, and disposal of garbage.
- Graving Dock
A watertight basin into which a vessel is floated, then dewatered, allowing access to the entire underwater hull for inspection and repair.
- Hot Lay-up
A temporary idling of a vessel with full crew and systems maintained, enabling rapid return to service when market conditions improve.
- Hull Cleaning
Removal of fouling organisms and paint buildup from the underwater hull to restore vessel speed and fuel efficiency.
- Inshore Traffic Zone (ITZ)
The water between a traffic separation scheme and the adjacent coast, normally reserved for local and small craft traffic.
- Intermediate Survey
A classification survey conducted midway through the five-year special survey cycle, typically around the second or third year.
- ISM Audit
Internal and external audit of the Safety Management System under the ISM Code; underpins the DOC and SMC.
- ISPS Audit
Verification audit of ship/port-facility security plans under ISPS Code — initial, intermediate, renewal.
- ISPS Security Levels
Three-tier security alert: Level 1 normal, Level 2 heightened, Level 3 specific threat — set by Contracting Government.
- Laid Up
The status of a vessel taken out of active trading and moored or anchored in a sheltered location while awaiting employment.
- Laytime
The agreed time allowed in a charter party for loading or discharging cargo; excess time results in demurrage charges.
- Lighterage
Use of barges or smaller vessels to discharge cargo from a deep-draft ship at anchor where the destination port cannot accommodate her draft.
- Mandatory Pilotage
A legal requirement in certain ports or waterways that a licensed pilot must be employed to navigate a vessel through that area.
- Notice of Readiness (NOR)
A formal written notice given by the master to the charterer or shipper that the vessel has arrived and is ready to load or discharge.
- Panama Canal Pilotage
Mandatory transit pilotage by Panama Canal Authority (ACP) pilots, who take con of the vessel from sea buoy to sea buoy.
- Passenger Ship Training
STCW V/2 mandatory training for crew on ro-ro passenger and other passenger ships: crowd management, safety, crisis management.
- Pilot Boarding Point (PBP)
A designated position at sea where a pilot boards or disembarks a vessel before proceeding to or after leaving a port.
- Pilotage
The navigational service provided by a licensed pilot who boards a vessel to guide it through a port or restricted waterway.
- Polar Code Basic Training
STCW V/4 basic-level training for officers on ships in polar waters; advanced course required for masters and chief mates.
- Polar Water Operational Manual (PWOM)
Document carried aboard polar-going ships describing routing, equipment, crew capabilities, and emergency response in polar waters.
- Port Agent
Local representative appointed to handle pre-arrival, in-port, and pre-departure formalities for the vessel.
- Port State Control Inspection (PSC inspection)
An examination of a foreign-flagged vessel in port by officers of the port state to verify compliance with international conventions.
- Pre-departure Drug & Stowaway Search
Documented search of all accessible spaces before departure from a high-risk port to detect contraband, stowaways, and security threats.
- Pre-Loading Hold Inspection
Independent surveyor's check on bulker holds before loading sensitive cargoes (grain, sulphur, wood pellets) for cleanliness, dryness, and structural condition.
- Precautionary Area
A routing measure where vessels must navigate with caution due to converging traffic lanes or hazardous conditions.
- PSC Deficiency Codes
Standardised numeric/alpha codes (e.g., 01101 'cargo securing manual') used in PSC reports and aggregated MoU statistics.
- PSC Detention
Outcome of a port-state-control inspection where deficiencies prevent the vessel from sailing until rectified.
- Recommended Track
A route of undefined width for the convenience of vessels in transit, indicated on charts but not mandatory.
- Renewal Survey
A statutory survey conducted to renew a SOLAS or MARPOL certificate for a further period, typically five years.
- RightShip Star Rating
Risk rating (1–5 stars) used by dry-bulk charterers; combines technical, environmental, and inspection data.
- Scrubber Discharge Bans
Local prohibitions (Singapore, China, UAE Fujairah, several EU/US ports) on washwater discharge from open-loop EGCS.
- SEEMP
Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan: mandatory document detailing measures to monitor and improve ship energy efficiency.
- Shifting (berth)
Movement of a vessel from one berth to another within the same port, typically without loading/discharging operations underway.
- Ship Agent
Local representative arranging port services (pilots, tugs, stores, crew changes, customs) on behalf of the owner or charterer.
- Ship Security Plan (SSP)
Confidential, ship-specific plan implementing the ISPS Code; approved by the Administration or RSO on its behalf.
- Ship-to-Ship Transfer (STS)
The transfer of cargo between two vessels moored alongside each other at sea or in an anchorage.
- Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan (SMPEP)
Combined SOPEP + Annex II NLS pollution plan required for ships carrying noxious liquid substances.
- Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP)
MARPOL Annex I plan giving guidance to the master and officers in the event of an oil pollution incident.
- SIRE 2.0
OCIMF Ship Inspection Report Programme version 2.0 — risk- and behaviour-based tanker inspection regime, fully active 2024.
- Special Survey
A comprehensive five-yearly classification survey requiring drydocking and full structural inspection to renew class for a further five years.
- Stowaway
Person who hides aboard a ship to gain free passage or escape circumstances ashore, without consent of the operator.
- Suez Canal Transit
Transit through the Suez Canal between Port Said and Suez, 193 km, no locks, governed by the Suez Canal Authority.
- Tailshaft Survey
A classification survey of the propeller shaft withdrawn from the stern tube to inspect for corrosion, cracking, and bearing wear.
- Tanker Familiarisation / Advanced Training
STCW Reg. V/1-1 (oil/chemical) and V/1-2 (gas) basic and advanced courses required for tanker crews.
- Tanker Management & Self Assessment (TMSA)
OCIMF programme requiring tanker operators to self-assess and continually improve their safety management against 13 elements.
- Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS)
An IMO-adopted routing measure separating opposing traffic into lanes to reduce collision risk in congested waters.
- Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)
A shore-based radar and communications service that monitors and manages vessel movements in a port or busy waterway.
- Vetting Inspection
Pre-fixture or pre-charter inspection by an oil/chemical major or charterer; results determine acceptability for their cargo.