Maritime Terms, Abbreviations and Acronyms

The tendency of crude or products to yield vapor. Volatile materials give off gas at everyday temperatures. Hydrocarbon mixtures, such as motor gasoline, may qualify as volatile because they contain components which evaporate readily. The industry usually measures vapor pressure to determine crude and products' volatility.

Any ship which is not required by treaty or statute to be equipped with radiotelecommunication equipment.

A contract of carriage in which the charterer engages a shipowner for the use of a ship's cargo space for one voyage.

Vessel Pays Dues

Vessel Particulars Questionnaire

Vessel Response Plan

Vessel response plan pollution

Vapour Recovery System, see below.

Vessel

Vessel traffic management system

Vessel traffic system

Void Space (OCIMF acronym)

(WORKING DAY) WEATHER PERMITTING shall have the same meaning as WEATHER WORKING DAY OF 24 CONSECUTIVE HOURS.

Weight (per 1000 kilos) or Winter (loadline)

World Scale

Water and feed

Weighing and Inspection

War and Marine

Water and rail

West Africa

Within

Weight Measurement

Water or With Average

West Africa

West Asia gulf

Insurance coverage for loss of goods resulting from any act of war.

A place for the reception, delivery, consolidation, distribution, and storage of goods/cargo.

Document that identifies goods imported when placed in a bonded warehouse. The duty is not im- posed on the products while in the warehouse but will be collected when they are withdrawn for delivery or consumption.

Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one port to be transported in bond to another port, where a superseding entry will be filed.

Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one port to be transported in bond through the U.S. to be exported from another port, without paying duty.

Allows merchandise that has been withdrawn from a bonded warehouse at one U.S. port to be exported from the same port exported without paying duty.

The storing of goods/cargo.

Area where personnel and equipment decontamination and hot zone support take place. It includes control points for the access corridor and thus assists in reducing the spread of contamination. Also referred to as the decontamination, contamination reduction, or limited access zone in other documents. (NFPA 472)

From the literal practice of firing a warning shot across another ship’s bow to encourage the captain to strike without engaging.

The declaration given by an owner that action has or will be taken to ensure that his vessel complies with International, statutory, or company requirements. (It requires a degree of trust in its use - an owner found to have broken a warranty might gain

Weather Analysis Service Provider

A vessel equipped for the transportation, treatment and/or (now illegal) discharge at sea of waste material

A vessel equipped to inject water into settled sediment which then moves under the influence of gravity and/or density gradients

A non propelled dredger pontoon equipped to inject water into settled sediment which then moves under the influence of gravity and/or density gradients

The ability of a liquid to mix fully with water and not separate

Ship Stability: p=Area of WP/(L*B)

A hydrocarbon mixture's tendency to hold water and other impurities in suspension. Aviation turbine fuel has specifications, including a water separation index, to avoid putting kerosene with this problem aboard aero planes.

A chemical that reacts with water to release a gas that is either flammable or presents a health hazard.

see WATER REACTION

Method or way to apply or distribute water. The water is finely divided to provide for high heat absorption. Water spray patterns can range from about 10 to 90 degrees. Water spray streams can be used to extinguish or control the burning of a fire or to provide exposure protection for personnel, equipment, buildings, etc. (This method can be used to absorb vapors, knock-down vapors or disperse vapors. Direct a water spray (fog), rather than a straight (solid) stream, into the vapor cloud to accomplish any of the above). Water spray is particularly effective on fires of flammable liquids and volatile solids having flash points above 37.8°C (100°F). Regardless of the above, water spray can be used successfully on flammable liquids with low flash points. The effectiveness depends particularly on the method of application. With proper nozzles, even gasoline spill fires of some types have been extinguished when coordinated hose lines were used to sweep the flames off the surface of the liquid. Furthermore, water spray carefully applied has frequently been used with success in extinguishing fires involving flammable liquids with high flash points (or any viscous liquids) by causing frothing to occur only on the surface, and this foaming action blankets and extinguishes the fire. (See also straight stream) Designated areas at dangerous goods incidents, based on safety and the degree of hazard. Many terms are used to describe control zones; however, in this guidebook, these zones are defined as the hot, warm, and cold zones. (NFPA 472)

A non propelled tank barge for the carriage of water

A tanker for the bulk carriage of water

A self propelled tanker barge for the bulk carriage of water

A tanker for the bulk carriage of water which is not suitable for trading in open waters

A naval auxiliary vessel. Designed for the carriage of bulk water in tanks expressly for naval support

Tank cleaning: Water White Standard means visually clean, dry and odour-free. Wall wash not required.

Substances which may produce flammable and/or toxic decomposition products upon contact with water.

Tank Cleaning: Water-Soluble substances and water-miscible substances are easy to clean with water, and the solubility of the substances might increase at higher temperatures. The use of a cleaning agent is only advisable for reduction of the cleaning time.

A line painted on a hull which shows the point to which a ship sinks when it is properly trimmed

A mixture of long chain hydrocarbons that crystallize at different temperatures as the overall fluid temperature falls.

A synonym for paraffins content most frequently applied to catalytic cracker feedstocks. A high wax, or paraffins, content makes a residue of gasoil more susceptible to cracking.

Waxes are esters of fatty acids combined with long-chain alcohols. The fatty acids are usually straightchain, saturated or monunsaturated compounds containing up to thirty carbon atoms. The alcohols are usually saturated, long-chain primary alcohols. Wax esters are found in animal and insect secretions as protective coatings in leaves and fruits and in the fats of some marine animals.

Paraffinic.

A crude oil which, by function of its total wax content, requires heating to prevent sludge deposition during transportation and discharge.

Movement of a ship through water such as headway, sternway or leeway

Water Ballast or Waybill or Westbound

Water Ballast Tank

West coast

West Coast Africa

Whether (in) customs cleared (clearance) or not

Whether Customs Cleared Or Not

Worst Case Discharge

Wind and Current Drag Coefficient Task Group

West Coast India

West Coast Mexico

West Coast of North America

West Coast South America

West Coast United Kingdom

West Coast United States

What Can You Offer

What Can You Propose

Working days

West Britain/East Ireland

A naval auxiliary vessel for testing and conducting trails on any weapon systems

The term used in voyage charter language to signify that laytime does not count when weather conditions do not allow cargo operations to be carried out.

WEATHER WORKING DAY shall mean a Working Day or part of a Working Day during which it is or, if the Vessel is still waiting for her turn, it would be possible to load/discharge the cargo without interruption due to the weather. If such interruption occurs (or would have occurred if work had been in progress), there shall be excluded from the Laytime a period calculated by reference to the ratio which the duration of the interruption bears to the time which would have or could have been worked but for the interruption.

WEATHER WORKING DAY OF 24 CONSECUTIVE HOURS shall mean a Working Day or part of a Working Day of 24 consecutive hours during which it is or, if the vessel is still waiting for her turn, it would be possible to load/discharge the cargo without interruption due to the weather. If such interruption occurs (or would have occurred if work had been in progress) there shall be excluded from the Laytime the period during which the weather interrupted or would have interrupted work.

WEATHER WORKING DAY OF 24 HOURS shall mean a period of 24 hours made up of one or more Working Days during which it is or, if the Vessel is still waiting for her turn, it would be possible to load/discharge the cargo without interruption due to the weather. If such interruption occurs (or would have occurred if work had been in progress), there shall be excluded from Laytime the actual period of such interruption.

Whether entered customs clearance or not

Whether entered customs house or not

Whether entered (in) Customs of not

A cargo on which the transportation charge is assessed on the basis of weight.

Coal charter party

Also known as stack car. A drop–frame rail flat car.

A vessel primarily equipped to maximize oil production from a well

Western Europe

Physical product. The trade distinguishes material promptly available, wet barrels, from future or paper availabilities.

With following alterations

Weight guaranteed

Weight

A vessel equipped for catching whales

A waterside structure, usually parallel to the waterway bank, at which a vessel may be berthed alongside from which cargo or passengers can be loaded or discharged. A pier or dock built on the shore of a harbor, river, or canal.

Working Hatch per Day

Wharf

Wharfage: Charge assessed by a pier or dock owner against freight handled over the pier or dock or against a steamship company using the pier or dock.