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Abbreviations

Special Shipping Terms
AA Always Afloat
AAAA Always Accessible Always Afloat
ABT About
ADCOM Address Commission
AFSPS Arrival First Sea Pilot Station (Norway)
AFFREIGHTMENT The hiring of a ship in whole or part
AFT At or towards the stern or rear of a ship
AGW All Going Well
AHL Australian Hold Ladders
ANTHAM Antwerp-Hamburg Range
APS Arrival Pilot Station
ARAG Amsterdam-Rotterdam–Antwerp-Ghent Range
A/S Alongside
ATDNSHINC Any Time Day or Night Sundays and Holidays Included
ATUTC Actual Times Used to Count
BAF Bunker Adjustment Factor. A fuel surcharge expressed as percentage added or subtracted from the freight amount reflecting the movement in the market place price for bunkers
BALLAST Heavy weight, often sea water, necessary for the stability and safety of a ship which is not carrying cargo.
BAREBOAT CHTR Bareboat Charter – Owners lease a specific ship and control its technical management and commercial operations only.
BBB Before Breaking Bulk
BDI Both Dates Inclusive
BENDS Both Ends (Load & Discharge Ports)
BI Both Inclusive
BIMCO The Baltic and International Maritime Council
BL (1) Bale
BL (2) (Bill of Lading) A document signed by the carrier which acts as a receipt and evidence of title to the cargo.
BM Beam
BEAM The maximum breadth of a ship
BOB Bunker on Board
BOFFER Best Offer
BROB Bunkers Remaining on Board
BSS Basis
BSS 1/1 Basis 1 Port to 1 Port
BT Berth Terms
BUNDLING This is the assembly of pieces of cargo, secured into one manageable unit. This is a very flexible description, A rule of thumb is to present cargo at a size easily handled by a large (20 tonne) fork lift truck.
BUNKERS Name given for fuel and diesel oil supply vessels supplies (originates from coal bunkers)
BWAD Brackish Water Arrival Draft
CBM Cubic Meter
CBFT (or CFT) Cubic Feet
CFR (or C&F) Cost and Freight
CHOPT Charterers Option
CHTRS Charterers
CIF Cost, Insurance & Freight. Seller pays all these costs to a nominated port or place of discharge.
COA Contract of Affreightment – Owners agree to accept a cost per revenue ton for cargo carried on a specific number of voyages.
COACP Contract of Affreightment Charter Party
COB Close of Business
COD Cash On Delivery
COGSA Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
CONS Consumption
COP Custom Of Port
CP (or C/P) Charter Party
CPD Charterers Pay Dues
CPT Carriage Paid To
CQD Customary Quick Deespatch
CROB Cargo Remaining on Board
CRN Crane
CST Centistoke
CTR Container Fitted
CVE Communication / Victuals / Entertainment
DAPS Days all Purposes (Total days for loading & discharging)
DDU Delivered Duty Unpaid
DDP Delivered Duty Paid.
DEM Demurrage
DESP Despatch
DET Detention
DHDATSBE Despatch Half Demurrage on Actual Time Saved Both Ends
DHDWTSBE Despatch Half Demurrage on Working Time Saved Both Ends
DISCH Discharge
DK Deck
DLOSP Dropping Last Outwards Sea Pilot (Norway)
DO Dropping Off Last Sea Pilot (Norway)
DOP Dropping Outward Pilot
DOT Department of Transport
DNRSAOCLONL Discountless and Non-Returnable Ship and/or Cargo Lost or Not Lost
DRAFT Depth to which a ship is immersed in water. The depth varies according to the design of the ship and will be greater or lesser depending not only on the weight of the ship and everything on board, but also on the density of the water in which the ship is lying.
DRK Derrick
DUNNAGE Materials of various types, often timber or matting, placed among the cargo for separation, and hence protection from damage, for ventilation and, in the case of certain cargoes, to provide space in which the forks of a lift truck may be inserted.
DWAT (or DWT) Deadweight. Weight of cargo, stores, and water, i.e. the difference between lightship and loaded displacement.
EC East Coast
EIU Even if Used
ELVENT Electric Ventilation
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETC Estimated Time of Completion
ETD Estimated Time of Departure
ETS Estimated Time of Sailing
EXW Ex Works
FAS Free Alongside Ship. Seller delivers goods to appropriate dock or terminal at port of embarkation and buyer covers costs and risks of loading.
FD Free of Despatch
FDD Freight Demurrage Deadfreight
FDIS Free Discharge
FEU Forty foot container equivalency unit – Standard 40‘Container
FHEX Fridays/Holidays Excluded
FHINC Fridays/Holidays Included
FILO Free In/Liner Out. Seafreight with which the shipper pays load costs and the carrier pays for discharge Free In/Out. Freight booked FIO includes the seafreight, but no loading/discharging costs, i.e. the charterer pays for cost of loading and discharging cargo.
FIOS Free In/Out Stowed. As per FIO, but includes stowage costs.
FIOT Free In/Out and Trimmed. As per FIOS but includes trimming – the leveling of bulk cargoes
FIOSLSD Free In/Out Stowed, Lashed, Secured and Dunnaged. As per FIO, but includes cost of lashing securing and dunnaging cargo to master’s satisfaction.
FIOST Free In/Out and Trimmed. Charterer pays for cost of loading/discharging cargo, including stowage and trimming.
FIT Free In Trimmed
FIW Free In Wagon
FIXING Chartering a Vessel
FLT Full Liner Terms – Ship owner pays to load and discharge the cargo
FMC Federal Maritime Commission – US government agency
FMS Fathoms – 6 feet
FO (IFO) Fuel Oil/Intermediate FO
FOB Free on Board. Seller sees the goods “over the ship‘s rail” on to the ship which is arranged and paid for by the buyer
FOFFER Firm Offer
FOG For Our Guidance
FOQ Free On Quay
FOR Free On Rail
FORCE MAJEURE Clause limiting responsibilities of the charterers, shippers and receivers due to events beyond their control.
FOT Free On Truck
FOW (1) First Open Water
FOW (2) Free On Wharf
FREE OUT Free of discharge costs to Owners
FWAD Fresh Water Departure Draft
FYG For Your Guidance
FYI For Your Information
GA General Average
GLS Gearless
GNCN Gencon – a standard BIMCO charter party form
GN (or GR) Grain (capacity)
GO Gas Oil
GRD Geared
GRT Gross Registered Tonnage
GSB Good Safe Berth
GSP Good Safe Port
GTEE Guarantee
2H Second Half
HA Hatch
HDWTS Half Despatch Working Time Saved
HMS Heavy Metal Scrap
HAGUE VISBY RULES Amendment of Hague Rules.
HW High Water
HHDW Handy Heavy d.w. (Scrap Cargo)
HL Half Liner Terms – Ship owner pays to discharge only
HO Hold
ILOHC In Lieu of Holds Cleaning
IMDG International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
IMO International Maritime Organisation – A UN body charged with safety at sea
IND Indication
INTERMODAL Carriage of a commodity by different modes of transport, i.e. sea, road, rail and air within a single journey.
ITF International Transport Workers Federation
IU If Used
IUHTAUTC If Used, Half Time Actually Used To Count
IUATUTC If Used, Actual Time Used To Count
IWL Institute Warranty Limits
LANE METER A method of measuring the space capacity of ferries or ro-ro ships whereby each unit of space (1 meter x 2.5 meters) is capable of holding 1 vehicle of that length.
LASH 1 To hold goods in position by use of ropes, wires, chains or straps etc.
LASH 2 Lighter Aboard Ship – a vessel that loads small barges direct from the water
LAT Latitude
LYCN Laycan (Layday Cancelling Date)
LOA Length Overall
LS (or LUMPS) Lumpsum Freight
LSD Lashed Secured Dunnaged
LT Liner Terms
LYCN Laycan (Layday Cancelling Date)
MB Merchant Broker
MDO (DO) Marine Diesel Oil
MET Metalled Road
MIN/MAX Minimum/Maximum (cargo quantity)
MOLOO More or Less Owners Option
MOLCHOPT More or Less Charterers Option
MT Metric Tonne (2204.61 lbs)
M/V (or MV) Motor Vessel
NAABSA Not Always Afloat But Safe Aground
NCB National Cargo Bureau
NESTING Implies that cargo is presented stacked in the contour of similarly shaped cargo, i.e. tin plates, thereby reducing the space occupied.
NON-REVERSIBLE (Detention). If loading completed sooner than expected, then saved days will not be added to discharge time allowed.
NOR Notice of Readiness
NRT Net Registered Tonnage
NYPE New York Produce Exchange
OO Owners Option
OSH Open Shelter Deck
OWS Owners
PASTUS Past Usual Time of Starting
PCGO Part Cargo
PCT Percent
PDPR Per Day Pro Rata
PERDIEM By the Day
PHPD Per Hatch Per Day
PRATIQUE Licence or permission to use a port
RCVR Receivers
ROB Remaining On Board
REVERSIBLE (Detention) If loading completed sooner than expected at load port, then days saved can be added to discharge operations.
RT (or R/T) Revenue Tonne (i.e. 1.0 metric Tonne or 1.0 cubic meter, whichever greater). The overall RT is calculated on a line by line basis of the packing list using the largest amount. The overall freight liability is calculated on the total RT amount, multiplied by the freight rate.
SATPM Saturday PM
SB Safe Berth
SD (or SID) Single Decker
SEAFREIGHT Costs charged for transporting goods over the sea. This does not cover any haulage or loading/discharging costs but the sea transport only.
SELFD Self Discharging
SF Stowage factor. Cubic space occupied by one ton (2,240 lbs/1,000 kgs) of cargo.
SHEX Sundays/Holidays Excluded
SHINC Sundays/Holidays Included
SKIDS Are bearers (i.e. either timber or metal) used to support cargo and to enable ease of movement by forklift trucks.
SL Bale (capacity)
SOC Shipper Owned Container
SOF Statement of Facts
SP Safe Port
SRBL Signing and Releasing Bill of Lading
SSHINC (or SATSHINC) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays Included
SSHEX (or SATSHEX) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays Excluded
STABILITY It is paramount that a vessel is stable in all respects at all times. When cargo is loaded/discharged, the stability is monitored by a computer, which takes into account the weight and position of cargo within the vessel.
STARBOARD Right side of a ship when facing the bow
Stern The aftermost part of a ship
SUB Subject (to)
SUB (or SUBS) Subjects (i.e. conditions)
SUPERCARGO Person employed by charterers to be on board the ship to look after their interests.
SWAD Salt Water Arrival Draft
SWDD Salt Water Departure Draft
TC Time Charter
TCP Time Charter Party
TBN To Be Named/Nominated
TELEX RELEASE Where a Bill of Lading is surrendered at one location and cargo release instructions are sent by telex, to the discharge port.
THC Terminal Handling Charges
TOPSIDES The sides of a ship between the waterline and the deck; sometimes referring to onto or above the deck.
TRIM Trimming describes the even distribution of cargo within a vessel.
T/S Transhipment
TTL Total
TW Tidal Water
UCP Uniform Customs and Practice of Documentary Credit
USC Until Sailing Completion
UU Unless Used
UUIWCTAUTC Unless Used in which case actual time to count
VSA Vessel Sharing Agreement
VOLUME CONTRACT A contract between the carrier and the shipper for the carriage of a specified quantity of cargo.
WIBON Whether in Berth or Not
WIFPON Whether in Free Pratique or Not
WIND AND WEATHER PERMITTING W&W/WP
WLTOHC Water Line-to-Hatch Coaming
WOG Without Guarantee
WP Weather Permitting
WPD Weather Working Days
WWD World Wide
WWE When Where Empty
WWR When Where Ready
WWWW Wibon, Wccon, Wifpon, Wipon
YAR York Antwerp Rules
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