True Colors
The current meaning, ‘to reveal yourself as you really are’, actually came about because of the opposite phrase “false colors” – from the 17th century referring to a vessel which sailed under a flag not her own. This tactic was used by almost everyone as a ruse de guerre, but the rules of gentlemanly behavior (and possibly actual legal rules) required one to raise one’s true colors before opening fire on another ship.
True Draft
Ship Stability: Where the waterline intersects the forward and after perpendiculars.
Trust Receipt
Release of merchandise by a bank to a buyer while the bank retains title to the merchandise. The goods are usually obtained for manufacturing or sales purposes. The buyer is obligated to maintain the goods (or the proceeds from their sales) distinct from the remainder of the assets and to hold them ready for repossession by the bank.
Try a Different Tack
The direction in which a ship moves as determined by the position of its sails and regarded in terms of the direction of the wind (starboard tack). If one tack didn’t bring the ship up properly, one could always attempt another.
TSG (C)(G)
Tanker Safety Guide (Chemicals) and (Gas) (ICS)
TSP
Triple super phosphate
TT
Turn Time or Telegraphic Transfer or That or TankTop
Tug
A powerful small boat designed to pull, push or manuever vessels.
Tug, Naval Auxiliary
A tug for naval support
Tugboat / Ocean Towing
Tugboats are used to pull ortow barges on the ocean or on wider inland rivers that have rough waters. Ocean towing involves long towlines between the tugboat and tow, to provide the necessary slack to accommodate rough water and varied weather conditions. Oceangoing tugs are very large and very powerful.
Turn a Blind Eye
From Admiral Lord Nelson’s awesome display of badassery at the Battle of Copenhagen. When the signal was given to stop fighting, Nelson held his spyglass to his blind eye and insisted he didn’t see the signal. He then proceeded to kick butt, of course.
Turnaround
In water transportation, the time it takes between the arrival of a vessel and its departure.
Turning Basin
An area that provides for the turning of a ship (bow to stern). Turning basins are usually located at or near the upper end of the interior channel and possibly at one or more intermediate points along long channels (EM 1110-2-1613).
Turret
An attachment for a Floating Storage and Offtake vessel or Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel that allows vessel to rotate around its mooring according to direction of wind and current.
TVE
Tank Vessel Examination (USCG)
TVP
True Vapor Pressure. The absolute pressure exerted by the gas produced by evaporation from a liquid, when the gas and liquid are in equilibrium at the prevailing temperature.
TW
Tween Deck (OCIMF acronym)
TWA
Time Weighted Average. Time-weighted average concentration for an 8-hour workday and a 40-hour-work week in which a worker may be repeatedly exposed without adverse health effects
TWHD
Tons per working or Workable hatch per day
Twist Locks
A set of four twistable bayonet type shear keys used as part of a spreader to pick up a container or as part of a chassis to secure the containers.
Two–Way Pallet
A pallet so designed that the forks of a fork lift truck can be inserted from two sides only.
TX
Telex or Transmitter (Radio)
Typicals
specifications considered representative of a crude or product stream. Parcels, particularly of feedstocks, often trade on typicals even though such data carries no absolute commitments or legal obligations.
U-bend specimen
Horseshoe-shaped test piece used to detect the susceptibility of a material to stress corrosion cracking
U.K.f.o.
United Kingdom for orders
U.K.H.A.D.
United Kingdom and Le Havre-Antwerp-Dunkirk range
U.K.H.H.
United Kingdom and Le Havre-Hamburg range
U/on deck
Under or on deck
UBA
Umweltbundesambt (German Federal Environment Bureau)
UCP
Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits: Published by the In- ternational Chamber of Commerce. This is the most frequently used standard for making payments in international trade; e.g., paying on a Letter of Credit. It is most frequently referred to by its shorthand title: UCP No. 500. This revised publication reflects recent changes in the transportation and banking industries, such as electronic transfer of funds.
UER
Undesired Event Report
UFC
Uniform Freight Classification
UHF
Ultra High Frequency Band Radio
UK/CONT
United Kingdom / continent range
UK/Cont (B.H.)
United Kingdom or Continent (Bordeaux-Hamburg range)
UK/Cont (G.H.)
United Kingdom or Continent (Gibraltar-Hamburg range)
UK/Cont (H.H.)
United Kingdom or Continent (Le Havre-Hamburg range)
UKC
Under Keel Clearance or United Kingdom / Continent
UKCS
United Kingdom Continental Shelf
ULBC
Ultra Large Bulk Carrier
ULCC
Ultra large crude carrier. The largest tankers. AFRA defines them as 320,000 DWT and larger. Most folks use the term a little less precisely. They might use it for ships as small as 300,000 or even 280,000 tons.
Ullage
The difference between the total volume of a tank and the volume of the material it is presently holding.
Ultraviolet Radiation
The visible light is only a small fraction of the spectrum of electromagnetic waves. Waves with wavelength shorter than the visible violet are generally called ""ultraviolet radiation"". Ultraviolet radiation is the electromagnetic wave in the range between the visible spectrum and x-rays. Both ultraviolet and infrared spectra are useful in the study of oils and fats.
UMS
Unmanned Machinery Space
UMS
Unleaded Motor Spirits
UN
Shaft Tunnel (OCIMF acronym)
UN Number (United National Serial Number)
These are assigned to cargoes by the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods.
UN/EDIFACT
United Nations EDI for Administration, Commerce and Transport. EDI Standards are developed and supported by the UN for electronic message (data) interchange on an international level.
UNCITRAL
United Nations’ Commission on International Trade Law
Unclaimed Freight
Freight that has not been called for or picked up by the consignee or owner.
UNCTAD
United Nations’ Commission on Trade and Development
Under the Weather
If a crewman is standing watch on the weather side of the bow, he will be subject to the constant beating of the sea and the ocean spray. He will be under the weather.
Undercharge
To charge less than the proper amount.
Underkeel Clearance
the distance between the bottom of the ship and the sea or channel floor directly under the vessel
Underwater System
An underwater system
Underway
A vessel is underway when it is not at anchor, made fast to the shore, or aground.
UNFCCC
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Unicool
Barwil Unitor’s maritime refrigerants
Uniform corrosion
Corrosion proceeding at almost the same rate over the whole surface of the metal exposed to the corrosive environment
Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCP)
Rules for letters of credit drawn up by the Commission on Banking Technique and Practices of the International Chamber of Commerce in consultation with the banking associations of many coun- tries. See Terms of Payment.
Unit
A major piece of refining equipment. Any collection of machinery worthy of this title includes the complete set of hardware necessary to perform a process step. A crude distillation unit, for instance, incorporates a furnace, a fractionation tower, and all the pipes, pumps, and heat exchangers required to separate crude into cuts.
Unit Load
Packages loaded on a pallet, in a crate or any other way that enables them to be handled at one time as a unit.
Unit Train
A train of a specified number of railcars, perhaps 100, which remain as a unit for a designated destination or until a change in routing is made.
Unitization
– The consolidation of a quantity of individual items into one large shipping unit for easier handling.
– Loading one or more large items of cargo onto a single piece of equipment, such as a pallet.
Unless Sooner Commenced
UNLESS SOONER COMMENCED shall mean that if turn-time has not expired but loading or discharging is carried out, Laytime shall commence.
Unless sooner commenced, in which case actual time used to count
UNLESS SOONER COMMENCED, IN WHICH CASE ACTUAL TIME USED TO COUNT shall mean that actual time used during turn-time shall count as Laytime.
Unless Used
UNLESS USED shall mean that if Laytime has commenced but loading or discharging is carried out during excepted periods, actual time used shall count as Laytime.
Unloading
Removal of a shipment from a vessel.
Unsaponifiable Matter
The term refers to material present in oils and fats which, after saponification of the oil or fat by alkali, is extractable by solvent and remains nonvolatile on drying. Unsaponifiable matter generally constitutes less than 1% in most oils and fats. It consists of hydrocarbons, higher alcohols, sterols and tocopherols.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Fatty acids containing one or more double bonds. Oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids are the most common naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids in animal and vegetable fats and oils.
Unsaturated Gases
Light ends produced by refinery cracking units, particularly catalytic crackers and cokers. “Unsaturated” indicates the high olefins content of these gases. They ordinarily go to their own separation unit, plainly labeled an unsaturate gas plant, to avoid contaminating the paraffinic, straight-run LPG which uses the saturate gas plant.
Unsaturates
Hydrocarbons containing double or triple bonds. Olefins and aromatics which feature carbon-carbon double bonds have particular importance in the oil industry.
Unseaworthiness
Unfitness of a ship for a particular voyage with a particular cargo. This can be a function of many variables, including but not limited to insufficient crew stores or fuel, machinery or equipment failure, or unfitness (unclean tanks) to receive or carry the cargo.
uPES
Unsaturated Polyester Resins
UPR
Unsaturated Polyester Resins. Durable, resinous polymers. They are used over a broad spread of industries, mainly the construction, boat building, automotive and electrical industries. In most applications they are reinforced with small glass fibers - hence these plastics are commonly referred to as GRP or Glass Reinforced Plastics..
Upstream
A relative term which locates one point closer to origins than another. Crude distillation lies upstream of conversion processing, for example. The opposite of downstream.
Urea Carrier
A single deck cargo vessel for the carriage of urea in bulk. May be self discharging
US Consular Invoice
A document required on merchandise imported into the United States.
USA
United States of America
