Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Cargo Science, Commodities and Cargo Care glossary (page 2)

The behavior and stowage care of cargoes carried by sea: abrasive and self-heating commodities, IMSBC group classification and transportable moisture limit, IBC Code noxious liquids and IMDG packaged dangerous goods, cargo inhibitors and stabilizers, ventilation and sweat, and the acute marine pollutant designation. Grounds each commodity in its carriage requirement, coating compatibility, and segregation rule.

483 defined terms.

Showing 233 on this page (page 2 of 2).

H

Hydrocarbon Cargoes: Crude, condensate, LPG, LNG, refined products.
Hydrochloric Acid: Class 8 corrosive; chemical tanker cargo.
Hydrogen Peroxide: Class 5.1 oxidizer; carried at controlled concentration.
Hygroscopic Cargo: Cargo that absorbs and releases moisture with ambient humidity.

I

IBC Code: International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk.
IGC Code: International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk.
IMDG Code: International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, mandatory under SOLAS VII Part A.
IMSBC Code: International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, mandatory under SOLAS VI/1-1 and VII/7-1.
Inert Gas System (IGS): Required on tankers under SOLAS II-2/16.
Inerting: Replacing tank atmosphere with inert gas (N2, IG) below 8% O2 for tankers, 5% for chemicals.
INF Code: International Code for the Safe Carriage of Packaged Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, mandatory under SOLAS VII.
Infestation, Cargo: Insect or rodent contamination; cause of rejection.
Innage: Depth of liquid measured from tank bottom; opposite of ullage.
Iron Ore: Major dry bulk; Fines schedule (IOF) limits TML.
Iron Ore Concentrate: Fine processed ore, Group A.
Iron Ore Fines (IOF): Specific IMSBC schedule following Vale TML guidance.
Iron Pellets, DRI: See Direct Reduced Iron.
Iron Pyrites: Group B IMSBC, self-heating in air.
ISO Tank Container: Stainless steel cylindrical tank in 20' ISO frame for liquid bulks.

J

Jet A-1: Aviation kerosene; cleanliness paramount.
Jet Fuel Cargo Care: Clean cargo; no anti-static tank coatings, no zinc surfaces.
Joint Survey: Inspection attended by both load and discharge interests.
Jumbo Bag: 500-2,000 kg flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC).
Jumbo Pipe: Large diameter line pipe stowed as breakbulk.
Jute Bags: Common rice and grain packaging; absorbent.

K

Kaolin (China Clay): Group A IMSBC fine clay.
Kerosene: Refined distillate; Class 3 flammable.
Kieserite: Magnesium sulfate fertilizer; bulk cargo.
Kraft Paper Dunnage: Heavy paper laid between cargo tiers.

L

Lashing Bar: See Container Lashing Bar.
Lashing Plate: Welded pad-eye in hold or on deck.
Lashing Wire: Galvanized wire used to secure heavy breakbulk.
Latex, Natural Rubber: IBC Category Y; carried in lined or stainless tanks.
Lead Concentrate: Heavy Group A IMSBC bulk; toxic dust.
Lead Ingots: Heavy breakbulk; floor-loaded.
Leakage Claim: Cargo loss due to packaging or tank failure.
Lethal Concentration (LC50): Toxicity reference for IMDG classification.
Light Cycle Oil (LCO): Refinery cargo, dirty product.
Lignite: Brown coal; high self-heating risk.
Limestone: Bulk Group C; abrasive.
Linseed Oil: Drying oil; risk of self-heating when soaked into rags.
Liquefaction: Loss of shear strength in fine wet bulks (Group A); cause of capsizes.
Liquid Bulk: Cargo carried in tanks; covered by MARPOL Annex I or II, IBC, IGC.
Liquid Cargo Heating: Coil heating to maintain pumpability of bitumen, palm oil, etc.
LNG: Liquefied natural gas; ~-162 C, near atmospheric pressure.
LNG Boil-Off Gas (BOG): Vapor generated by heat ingress; used as fuel or reliquefied.
LNG Heel: Residual liquid kept on board to maintain tank temperature.
Load Density: Allowable mass per square meter on tank top, deck, or container floor.
Load Line Cargo Capacity: Cargo allowable to seasonal load line.
Load on Top (LOT): Tanker practice retaining slops at bottom of clean cargo.
Logs, Deck Cargo: Carried under IMO Timber Code with rigorous lashing.
LPG: Propane, butane; carried fully refrigerated, semi-refrigerated, or pressurized.
LR1/LR2 tanker: Long-range product tanker, ~75k/115k DWT.
Lubricating Oil: Carried in product/chemical tankers in dedicated tanks.

M

Mafi Trailer (Roll Trailer): Heavy-duty terminal trailer for RoRo and project cargo.
Magnesite: Mineral cargo; Group C.
Manganese Ore: Heavy bulk; fines Group A.
Marine Pollutant: IMDG marking for substances harmful to marine environment.
Marpol Annex I (Oil): Regulates oil cargo and oily discharges.
Marpol Annex II (NLS): Categories X, Y, Z, OS for liquid bulks.
Maximum Allowable Cargo Loading Limit (MARVS): IGC Code design parameter for gas tanks.
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP): Container or tank design pressure rating.
Meal, Soybean: Self-heating Group B; risk of mold.
Measurement Ton: 1 cubic meter (formerly 40 cubic feet).
Mechanical Ventilation: Powered fans serving cargo holds.
Membrane Tank (LNG): GTT Mark III or NO96 thin steel membrane against insulated hull.
Metallic Concentrates: Lead, zinc, copper, nickel; Group A with strict TML control.
Methanol: IBC Category Y; flammable; common chemical tanker cargo.
Methyl Bromide: Fumigant under IMSBC and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1264.
Mineral Oil: General term for petroleum oils.
Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP): Gas-flushed retail packaging carried in standard reefers.
Modified Proctor/Fagerberg Test: TML laboratory method for Group A cargoes.
Moisture Content: Mass of water as percentage of total mass; central to TML calculation.
Molasses: Viscous edible-by-product; heated cargo on parcel tankers.
MOP (Muriate of Potash): Bulk fertilizer; Group C.
Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV): Ships for breakbulk, containers, project cargo.

N

Naphtha: Light distillate, clean product.
National Variation: National additions to IMDG (e.g., US 49 CFR).
Natural Gas Liquids (NGL): Mix of light hydrocarbons.
Newsprint Reels: Sensitive to moisture; carried on flats with chocking.
Nickel Ore: Group A IMSBC, infamous for liquefaction casualties.
Niter (Sodium Nitrate): Class 5.1 oxidizer.
Nitrogen Blanketing: Filling tank vapor space with N2 to prevent oxidation.
Non-Hygroscopic Cargo: Cargo that does not exchange moisture with air (steel, machinery).
Notice of Readiness (NOR): Notice by master that ship is ready to load or discharge, starting laytime.
Noxious Liquid Substance (NLS): MARPOL Annex II liquid bulk.

O

Off-Hire Cargo Survey: Cargo audit during change of charterers.
Oil Major Vetting: SIRE/CDI inspections of tank ships.
Oilseeds: Soy, rapeseed, sunflower; Group B for some schedules.
OOG (Out Of Gauge): Container cargo exceeding ISO envelope; needs special stowage.
Open Hatch Bulker: Box-shaped hold designed for forest products.
Organic Peroxide: IMDG Class 5.2; temperature-controlled stowage.
Out-Turn: Quantity delivered at discharge port versus B/L.
Over-Stowed: Cargo placed below others; requires shifting to discharge.
Oxidation (Cargo): Reaction with air; causes coal heating, oil rancidity.
Oxygen Depletion: Hazard in holds carrying coal, DRI, wood pellets, ferrosilicon.

P

Packaging Group (PG): IMDG PG I high, PG II medium, PG III low danger within class.
Packing Certificate (CTU): Document attesting cargo is packed per CTU Code.
Pallet Cargo: Goods on wooden or plastic pallets, often shrink-wrapped.
Palm Oil: Edible vegoil; carried at 32-40 C.
Palm Olein / Stearin: Vegetable oil fractions; heated cargo.
Panamax: Dry bulk or container vessel sized for the original Panama Canal locks.
Paper Reels: Forest product carried on end or flat; sensitive to moisture and shock.
Parcel tanker: Chemical tanker with many segregated tanks.
Passive Ventilation: Natural air movement through cowls and pipes.
Peat Moss: Self-heating Group B IMSBC cargo.
Pellets, Wood: Group B self-heating; produces CO; major safety focus.
Petroleum Coke: Carbon residue cargo; Group B.
Phosphate Rock: Bulk fertilizer feedstock; Group C.
Phosphine Fumigation: Aluminum phosphide tablets release phosphine gas; cargo care procedure.
Pig Iron: Heavy breakbulk semifinished iron; Group C in bulk.
Pipe Cargo: Line pipe carried on flat racks or breakbulk in pyramids with chocks.
Plant Health Certificate: Phytosanitary document accompanying agricultural cargoes.
Plywood Sheets: Bundled forest product; dunnage essential.
Pneumatic Conveyor: Loading system for cement, fly ash, alumina.
Polyethylene Pellets: Breakbulk in jumbo bags or bulk in compartmented containers.
Polypropylene Resin: Granular polymer carried in liner bags.
Pour Point: Lowest temperature at which oil flows; key to heating decisions.
Powder Cargo: Fine dry bulk loaded by air (cement, alumina).
Pre-Cooling, Reefer: Setting container temperature before stuffing produce.
Pre-Loading Inspection: Visual and instrument check of holds prior to loading.
Pre-Trip Inspection (PTI): Reefer functional test before loading.
Pre-Wash (MARPOL II): Mandatory wash for Category X NLS residues.
Pressure Vacuum Valve (PV): Tank breathing valve to prevent over/under pressure.
Product tanker: Tanker for refined petroleum products.
Project cargo: Heavy lift or oversized cargo for projects.
Propane: LPG component; carried at -42 C fully refrigerated.
Propylene: Gas cargo on ethylene/LPG carriers.
Pulp, Wood: Pressed bales; absorbent and prone to wet damage.
Pumpability: Cargo property reflecting viscosity at handling temperature.

Q

Quarantine Cargo: Cargo isolated for biosecurity inspection.
Quenched Coke: Wet petcoke; loading and self-heating risk.

R

Rapeseed (Canola): Oilseed cargo; Group B with self-heating risk.
Rapeseed Meal: Self-heating; oily.
Raw Sugar: Hygroscopic bulk; cargo care includes ventilation against sweat.
Reactive Hazards (IMSBC Group B): Self-heating, oxidation, oxygen depletion, gas emission.
Reefer container: Refrigerated container with integral plant.
Reefer Plug: Onboard or terminal 440 V socket for reefer power.
Reefer Setpoint: Target air-supply temperature.
Refrigerated Cargo: Goods carried below ambient under temperature control.
Rice, Bagged: Hygroscopic, prone to infestation; jute or PP bags.
RoRo Cargo: Rolling cargo (cars, trucks, mafi) loaded via ramps.
Rubber, Natural: Breakbulk in pressed bales.

S

Safety Data Sheet (SDS): Chemical safety document supplied by shipper for IMDG cargo.
Salt, Bulk: Sodium chloride, hygroscopic, Group C.
Sand, Bulk: Group A or C depending on grain size and moisture.
Saturated Vapor Pressure: Equilibrium vapor pressure at a temperature.
Scrap, Ferrous: Heavy bulk; abrasive; risk of hidden explosives.
Scrap, Non-Ferrous: Aluminum, copper, brass scrap; heavy and angular.
Securing Plan: Approved diagram showing how cargo is lashed.
Segregation Table (IMDG): Defines stow separation between hazard classes.
Self-Heating Cargo: Cargo undergoing exothermic reaction without ignition source.
Ship's Sweat: Condensation forming on cold ship structure when warm humid air enters hold.
Shipper's Declaration (IMSBC): Required cargo information form including TML, moisture, group.
Short Landing: Cargo missing at discharge port versus B/L; shortage claim.
Silo Cargo: Bulk loaded from grain or cement silos via spouts.
Slack Tank: Partially filled liquid tank; free-surface effect risk.
Sling, Cargo: Looped strap, wire, or chain used in lifts.
Sodium Hydroxide Solution: IBC Category Y; corrosive.
Solid Bulk Cargo Shipping Name: Standardized name on IMSBC declaration.
Soybean Meal: Group B self-heating; protein cargo.
Soybeans: Major grain cargo; oily; self-heating risk.
Spreader, Bulk: Loading appliance distributing cargo across hold.
Spreader, Container: Top-lifting device matching ISO corner castings.
Steel Coil: Hot-rolled or cold-rolled; carried on saddles in fore-and-aft stow.
Steel Pipe: Carried on flats or breakbulk; pipe joint protectors.
Steel Plate: Heavy breakbulk; lifted with magnets or vacuum.
Stowage Factor (SF): Volume in m3 occupied by one tonne of cargo.
Stowage plan: Plan showing container or cargo positions.
Stripping (Tank): Final emptying of cargo tank residues.
Stuffing: Loading of a container.
Styrene Monomer: IBC Category Y; needs TBC inhibitor; polymerization runaway risk.
Sulfur, Bulk: Group B IMSBC; dust explosion hazard.
Sulphate of Potash: Fertilizer; Group C.
Sulphur, Formed (Prilled or Granular): Less dusty than crushed.
Sunflower Oil: Vegoil; carried in chemical tankers.
Sweat Battens: Spaced wood battens along hold sides preventing cargo contact with cold steel.
Synthetic Rubber: Bagged or baled; flammable solid considerations.

T

Tallow: Animal fat carried heated in chemical tankers.
Tank Atmosphere: Vapor space conditions inside cargo tank.
Tank cleaning: Cleaning of cargo tanks between cargoes.
Tank Coating: Epoxy, phenolic epoxy, zinc silicate; restricts compatible cargoes.
Tank Drying: Removal of cleaning water after wash before sensitive cargo.
Tankage Calibration Table: Volume tables of tanks at 1 cm intervals.
TBC (4-tert-Butylcatechol): Inhibitor for styrene during voyage.
Temperature Logger: Data logger placed in reefer or hold to record carriage temperature.
Tilt Test (Can Test): Quick test under Section 8 of IMSBC for moisture risk in Group A cargoes.
Timber Code (IMO): Code of Safe Practice for Ships Carrying Timber Deck Cargoes.
TML (Transportable Moisture Limit): Maximum moisture content at which Group A cargo can be safely transported.
Tobacco, Bulk: Hygroscopic, taint-sensitive.
Topping off: Final cargo intake to reach desired loadline.
Trim, Cargo: Distribution of cargo to achieve correct trim and stress.
Trimming, Bulk: Leveling cargo to fill voids and prevent shifting.
Turbine, Project Cargo: Wind or gas turbine sections, OOG project freight.
Twistlock: Locking device joining containers at corner castings.

U

UFL (Upper Flammable Limit): Maximum vapor concentration that will ignite.
Ullage: Empty space above liquid cargo in a tank.
UN number: Number identifying dangerous goods under UN model regulations.
Unitization: Bundling small goods into a single handling unit.
Urea, Bulk: Major nitrogen fertilizer; Group C IMSBC; caking risk.

V

Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO): Refinery feedstock; dirty product cargo.
Vapor Pressure (RVP): Reid vapor pressure of gasoline and crudes.
Vapor return line: Cargo gas return between ship and shore on tankers/gas carriers.
Vegetable Oils: Palm, soy, sunflower, rapeseed; FOSFA cargo cleanliness rules.
Vehicle Cargo: New cars on PCTCs; lashed with web straps and chocks.
Ventilation, Cargo Hold: Controlled air exchange to manage sweat and gas.
Viscosity: Resistance to flow; cargo pumpability parameter.
Voids, Stowage: Empty spaces between cargo, often filled with dunnage.

W

W/M (Weight or Measure): Freight basis using greater of weight or volume.
Water Damage: Sea water, rain, sweat, or wash-water harming cargo.
Water Ingress Detector: SOLAS-required bulker alarm in cargo holds.
Web Lashing: Tensioned synthetic webbing for vehicles and breakbulk.
Weeping Cargo: Liquid cargo seeping through bags or drums.
Wet Cargo Damage: Claim category covering ingress, sweat, condensation losses.
Wheat: Major grain cargo under Grain Code.
Wind Turbine Blade: OOG project cargo; carried on multi-deck flats with custom cradles.
Wood Chips: Group B self-heating; CO emission; oxygen depletion in holds.
Wood Pellets: Group B self-heating biofuel.
Wood Pulp: Forest product breakbulk in bales.

X

X-Cargo: Category X NLS under MARPOL Annex II; most stringent discharge rules.
Xanthates: Mining reagents; some IMDG Class 4.2 self-heating.
Xylene: Aromatic chemical cargo; IBC Category Y.

Y

Y-Cargo: MARPOL Annex II Category Y noxious liquid.
Yellow Cake (Uranium Ore Concentrate): Class 7 radioactive; drummed bulk under INF Code.
Yellow Phosphorus: Class 4.2 spontaneously combustible.
Yield Strength (Steel Cargo): Material property relevant to plate and rebar handling.

Z

Z-Cargo: MARPOL Annex II Category Z noxious liquid.
Zeolite: Molecular sieve; cargo for catalyst markets.
Zinc Concentrate: Group A IMSBC fine heavy ore; TML controlled.
Zinc Ingots / Slabs: Heavy non-ferrous breakbulk.
Zinc Oxide: Fine powder cargo; bagged or bulk.
Zone Stowage: Cargo placed by climatic zone consideration.
Zorba: Trade-name designation for shredded mixed non-ferrous metal scrap.