Maritime Terms, Abbreviations and Acronyms

Maritime abbreviations and acronyms go back to those days we used telegram and telex to communicate. The business model for telex and telegrams was “pay per letter”. Even though the telegrams and telexes have been retired, we still use the maritime abbreviations daily.

Below you will find a comprehensive list of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms used in the maritime industry, sorted in alphabetical order. You can search for an acronym or write a word and find the abbreviations where the word is included.

If you think some abbreviations are missing, send us an e-mail at post@maritimeoptima.com or open the chat icon on the bottom of this page.

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Saturated Acids

Important components of fats and oils. The most common saturated fatty acids are palmitic, stearic, lauric and myristic.

saturates

Hydrocarbons with no multiple bonds. Paraffins and naphthenes.

SATV

Safe Access to Vessels Working Group

SB

Safe berth

SB

Safe berth or Southbound

SB or SBS

Safe berth

SBA

Secondary Butyl Alcohol

SBE

Standby engine

SBM

Single Buoy Mooring or Soy Bean Meal

SBP

Safe berth-port

SBR

Styrene-Butadiene Rubber. SBR is a rubber manufactured from styrene. Because of its excellent abrasion resistance, it is widely used in automobile and truck tires, as well as for carpet backing and paper coating. Other applications are in belting, flooring, wire and cable insulation, and footwear..

SBT

Segregated Ballast Tanks: These are tanks that are completely segregated from the cargo oil and fuel oil systems and which are permanently allocated to the carriage of ballast. Requirements for meeting the SBT criteria are detailed in MARPOL 13.

SBT/PL

Segregated Ballast Tanks Protectively Located

SC&S

Strapped, corded and sealed

SCAC

Standard Carrier Alpha Code

SCAC Code

See Owner Code.

Scaling Temperature

The temperature, above which steel oxidizes at a high rate

Scantling Draft

the maximum draft at which a vessel complies with the governing strength requirements of classification societies.

SCBRA

Speed Reduction and Bunker Consumption Algorithm

Schedule B

The Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities Exported from the United States.

SCM

Stern to Center Manifold

SCNT

Suez Canal Net Tonnage

SCOS

Submerged Crude Oil Storage - This Teekay-designed system stores crude oil underwater in an inflatable balloon-type structure made of a flexible polyester fabric, with a coating impervious to seawater and oil.

SCP

Sub-area Contingency Plan (10 regional plans that supplement the AK Unified Plan)

screen

Oil trading jargon for the electronic network quotes of futures market prices. Other nicknames include "the TV" and "the print." The industry discusses physical market activity and does business at levels which sound like "screen plus 25" and "85 points under the print."

SCUBA

Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

Scuttlebutt

A butt was a barrel. Scuttle meant to chop a hole in something. The scuttlebutt was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and dip out drinking water. The scuttlebutt was the place where the ship's gossip was exchanged.

SD

Self-Discharging or Single Deck or Sight Draft or Short Delivery

SD or SELFD or SELFDISCH

Self Discharging

SD or SID

Single decker

SDBC

Single Decker bulk carrier

SDBL

Sight draft, B/L attached

SDD

Store door delivery

SDG

Siding

SDR

Special Drawing Rights (IMF)

SDSTBC

Single Decker Self-trimming bulk carrier

SDWT

Summer deadweight

SEA

South East Asia

Sea Waybill

Document indicating the goods were loaded onboard when a document of title (b/L) is not needed. Typically used when a company is shipping goods to itself.

Sea–Bee Vessels

Ocean vessels constructed with heavy–duty submersible hydraulic lift or elevator system at the stern of the vessel. The Sea–Bee system facilitates forward transfer and positioning of barges. Sea–Bee barges are larger than LASH barges. The Sea–Bee system is no longer used.

SEAFREIGHT

Costs charged for transporting goods over the sea. This SEAFREIGHT does not cover any haulage or loading/discharging costs but the sea transport only.

Seagoing (voyage)

The part of a voyage that is not wholly within inland waterways or harbour walls / port limits.

Seagoing Barges

"Self-propelled barges or towed/pushed dumb barges which are classed for sea-going trade, or which may be classified for estuarial or restricted seagoing voyages between nominated ports. Seagoing barges may be mandated by international conventions, and may also be regulated by local, national or regional regimes."

Seal Catcher

A vessel equipped for catching seals

Search & Rescue Vessel

A vessel equipped for rapid response search & rescue operations

Seawaymax

The term Seawaymax refers to vessels which are the maximum size that can fit through the canal locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Seawaymax vessels are 740 feet (225.6 m) in length, 78 feet (23.8 m) wide, and have a draft of 26 feet (7.92 m) and a height above the waterline of 35.5 metres (116 ft).

Seawaymax Vessel

The largest vessel that can transit the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Length is 226 meters (740 feet); Beam is 24 meters (78 feet); Draft is 7.92 meters (26 feet).

Seaworthiness

The fitness of a ship to safely load, transport and discharge a particular cargo, with respect to the hazards of the sea. Seaworthiness is a key component of any kind of charter party. See Unseaworthy.

secondary processing

Cracking, alkylation, and other molecule alteration. Refining beyond the capabilities of a topping plant or hydroskimmer.

Secure Freight Initiative (SFI)

It is a key provision of the SAFE Port Act of 2006 and is part of the International Container Security scanning project. It builds on its current partnership between the Container Security Initiative and the Megaports Initiative. It expands the use of scanning and imaging equipment to examine more U.S. bound containers, not just those determined to be high risk.

Security Level 1

Is the level for which minimum appropriate protective security measures shall be maintained at all times.

Security Level 2

Is the level for which appropriate additional protective security measures shall be maintained for a period of time as a result of heightened risk of a security incident.

Security Level 3

Is the level for which further specific protective security measures shall be maintained for a limited period of time when a security incident is probable or imminent, although it may not be possible to identify the specific target.

SED

U.S. Commerce Department document, “Shipper’s Export Declaration.”

SEE-BEE

Sea Barge carrier

SEEMP

Ships Energy Efficiency Management Plan

Segregated Ballast

Ballast that is contained in dedicated ballast tanks serviced by dedicated ballast pumps and lines with no permanent connection to the cargo system.

segregated ballast tanks (SBT)

Chambers on a tanker used exclusively to hold ballast water. Ships so equipped need not fill cargo tanks with sea water on unladen voyages. Such vessels need not worry that they will pump oil traces overboard when they deballast.

segregation

Keeping two or more parcels of crude or product isolated from one another aboard a tanker. Ability to prevent contact between part-cargoes may depend upon not only separate tanks but also separate pumps and piping to handle each grade. The trade would say that a ship which can keep apart three kinds of oil has "three segregations."

Selective Corrosion

Corrosion of an alloy in which the components react in proportions that differ from their proportions in the alloy

SELFD

Self Discharging

Selfdischargers

Bulkers with conveyor belts, or with the use of an excavator that is fitted on a traverse running over the vessel's entire hatch, and that is able to move sideways as well. This allows them to discharge their cargo quickly and efficiently

SEMI-TRAILERS

Are usually 12.0 meter flatbed road trailers

Sensitization

Exposure to the substance results in stimulation of the immune system, resulting in a state of hypersensitivity to the substance. Sensitization by skin contact results in local allergic responses. Sensitization by inhalation (respiratory sensitization) causes asthma

Sensitizer

A substance which may cause no reaction in a person during initial exposure, but to which further exposure will cause an allergic response.

Sensitizing

A heat treatment that makes steel more sensitive to intergranular corrosion

Sensory irritant

A material which interacts with nerves in exposed body surfaces, causing local discomfort or pain with associated reflexes. For example, on the eye a sensory irritant material will cause eye discomfort with excess tear production and blinking

SERM

SERM - SIRE Enhanced Report Manager: SIRE Tanker and Barge Reports and VPQs/BPQs are available electronically 24 hours a day, 365 days per year via the internet to qualified Recipients. SIRE recipients are kept abreast of details of reports held in the d

Service

A string of vessels which makes a particular voyage and serves a particular market.

Service Contract

As provided in the Shipping Act of 1984, a contract between a shipper (or a shippers association) and an ocean common carrier (or conference) in which the shipper makes a commitment to provide a cer- tain minimum quantity of cargo or freight revenue over a fixed time period, and the ocean common carrier or conference commits to a certain rate or rate schedule as well as a defined service level (such as assured space, transit time, port rotation or similar service features). The contract may also specify provisions in the event of nonperformance on the part of either party.

Sesame Oil

The oil obtained from the seeds of ""Sesamum Indicum"" and ""Sesamum Orientale"". An edible oil grown and prized in some Middle East countries, in India and in Central America. Sesame oil gives a characteristic colour reaction and is a required addition to vanaspati in India, to enable the detection of mixtures of vanaspati with ghee.

severity

The degree of application of pressure, temperature, duration, or other critical processing conditions. The more exposure of a feedstock to factors which promote an intended reaction, the more severe the processing. Higher temperatures, greater pressures, longer residence times, and so forth, constitute greater severity in various processes.

SF

Stowage Factor or Single Factor or San Francisco or Summer Freeboard

SFA

Securities and Futures Authority

SFB

Summer free board

SFG

Special Forces Group

sFS

see SSF

SFS

Sun Flowers

SG

Specific gravity

SG

Steering gear room (OCIMF acronym)

SH

Second Half

SHE

Safety, Health and Environment

Sheerlegs Pontoon

A pontoon with sheerlegs for lifting

SHEX

Sundays and Holidays Excluded

SHEXEIU

Sundays and holidays excepted, even if used

SHEXEIU

Sundays and holidays excepted, even if used both ends

SHEXEIUBE

Sundays and holidays excepted, even if used both end

SHEXUU

Sundays and holidays excepted, unless used

SHINC

Sundays and Holidays Included

Ship

Means all self propelled vessels in excess of 100 tons gross, designed for the carriage of bulk oil, liquefied gas or chemicals and which are chartered for sea going trade, i.e. a seagoing tanker vessel

Ship Chandler

An individual or company selling equipment and supplies for ships.

Ship Demurrage

A charge for delaying a steamer beyond a stipulated period.

Ship Load

The amount of cargo a ship carries or is able to carry. See also “Full Shipload Lot” and “Full and Down.”

Ship Security Officer

Is the person on board the vessel, accountable to the master, designated by the Company as respon- sible for the security of the ship, including implementation and maintenance of the ship security plan and for the liaison with the company security officer and the port facility security officers.

Ship Security Plan

Is a plan developed to ensure the application of measures on board the ship and designed to protect persons on board, cargo, cargo transport units, ship’s stores or the ship from the risks of a security incident.

ship's figures

A quantity of cargo loaded or discharged by a tanker as tabulated using the ship's calibration tables. The trade regularly compares these numbers with shore tank figures. Observers take samples of cargo as it comes aboard. But they do not ordinarily have them tested for quality unless a dispute arises. Most outturn quality reports, on the other hand, come from samples taken from the vessel's tanks at the discharge port.

Ship-shape and Bristol Fashion

A reference to the precise nature of shipbuilding (and maintenance) as well as the exemplary work that came from Bristol shipyards.

Ship-to-Ship Transfer

The unloading of cargo from large vessels into smaller vessels that are able to enter smaller ports.

Ship’s Bells

Measure time onboard ship. One bell sounds for each half hour. One bell means 12:30, two bells mean 1:00, three bells mean 1:30, and so on until 4:00 (eight bells). At 4:30 the cycle begins again with one bell.

Ship’s Manifest

A statement listing the particulars of all shipments loaded for a specified voyage.
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