Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Marine Salvage and Wreck Removal glossary

The practice and law of salvage and wreck removal: abandonment and constructive total loss as preconditions to a salvage tender, active versus standby salvage, admiralty jurisdiction in rem, accelerated awards under Lloyd’s procedures, and the Salvage Convention 1989. Grounds each term in the no-cure-no-pay framework and the wreck-removal regime.

264 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 1 of 2).

A

A-Frame: Two-legged lifting structure on salvage barges or sheerlegs used for heavy wreck lifts.
Abandonment: act by which an insured cedes proprietary rights in the insured property to underwriters as a precondition for claiming a constructive total loss.
Accelerated Award: Expedited salvage arbitration ruling under Lloyd's procedures for low-value or uncontested claims.
ACOPS: Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea, UK NGO tracking pollution and salvage incidents.
Active Salvage: Operation in progress with salvors physically engaged on the casualty, distinct from standby.
Admiralty Jurisdiction: Court jurisdiction over maritime claims, often in rem.
AHT: Anchor Handling Tug, deploys ground tackle and beach gear for refloating operations.
AHTS: Anchor Handling Tug Supply, multipurpose vessel for salvage tow, anchor work, and supply.
Air Diving: Surface-supplied diving to about 50 metres, standard for shallow salvage and survey.
Air Lift: Compressed air dredge tool used to clear silt around grounded or sunken hulls.
AIS Replay: Reconstruction of casualty track from Automatic Identification System data for investigation.
Allision: contact between a moving vessel and a fixed object such as a wharf or bridge.
AMSA: Australian Maritime Safety Authority, intervention powers under the Protection of the Sea Act.
Anchor Handling: Deployment and recovery of ground tackle, beach gear, and mooring spreads.
Apparent Salved Value: Provisional valuation of ship plus cargo plus bunkers used in interim award calculation.
Approved Salvor: Contractor on a flag state, port state, or insurer panel of recognised response companies.
Ardent: Salvage joint venture between Svitzer Salvage and Crowley Maritime, ceased trading 2019.
Article 13: 1989 Salvage Convention criteria for fixing the salvage reward.
Article 14: 1989 Salvage Convention special compensation for environmental protection efforts.
Article 6: LOF clause that incorporates the Salvage Convention 1989 by reference into the contract.
Asphyxiation Hazard: Oxygen depletion risk in flooded or inerted tanks during salvage entry.
ATB: Articulated Tug Barge, integrated unit used in US coastal oil response and lightering.
Atlantic Empress: 1979 VLCC collision and fire off Tobago, salvors recovered partial cargo before vessel sank.
Awarded Sum: Final monetary salvage reward fixed by arbitration, paid by ship and cargo interests pro rata.

B

Backhoe Dredger: Hydraulic-excavator-mounted dredger.
Bahamas Maritime Authority: BMA, the flag administration headquartered in Nassau with offices in London, Hong Kong and New York.
Ballast Exchange: Pumping or flooding of tanks to control trim and heel during salvage refloat.
Bareboat Salvage: Rare arrangement where salvor takes possession and operates the casualty under charter.
Beach Gear: Heavy ground tackle including anchors, wire, and purchase tackle for pulling off groundings.
Beach Grounding: Deliberate or accidental stranding on a beach, often used to prevent foundering.
Beaching Plan: Engineering document for controlled grounding to permit safe access and lightering.
Bilge Salvage: Recovery operations where casualty rests on its bilge keel, often after capsize.
BIMCO: Baltic and International Maritime Council, drafter of standard maritime contracts.
Black List: Categorization of flags or ships with high detention ratios under PSC MoUs.
Blue Card: certificate issued by a P&I club evidencing insurance for liabilities under CLC 1992, Bunker Convention 2001, Wreck Removal Convention 2007, or Athens 2002.
Bollard pull: Tug pulling force in tonnes.
Boom: Spar extending the foot of a sail.
Boskalis: Dutch dredging and salvage major, parent of SMIT Salvage since 2010.
Bottom Damage: Hull breach below the waterline, primary cause of foundering and salvage entry.
Bow Door Casualty: Failure mode behind Herald of Free Enterprise 1987, prompting roro salvage protocols.
Breach Closure: Patching, cofferdam fitting, or controlled flooding to seal hull damage before pumping.
Brussels Convention 1910: Original Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law respecting Assistance and Salvage at Sea.
Bunker Removal: Lightering of fuel from a casualty under OPA 90 or Nairobi Convention obligations.
Bureau Veritas Salvage: Class society salvage and survey support for casualty stability and structure.

C

Cable Lay: Use of beach gear and tugs to lay heavy wire purchase for pulling grounded ships.
Cargo Lightering: Ship to ship transfer of cargo to lighten the casualty for refloat.
Cargo Underwriter Approval: Insurer consent often required before commencing salvage on insured cargo.
Casualty Coordinator: Designated person managing the salvage response on behalf of owner or insurer.
Casualty Fund: Owner's financial pot established for wreck removal liabilities under Nairobi.
Casualty Report: Initial notice issued by owner, master, or salvor to insurers and authorities.
CCG: Canadian Coast Guard, responsible for intervention and wreck management in Canadian waters.
CEDRE: Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution, France.
Certificate of Salvage Performance: Document signed by master and salvor on contract termination.
Chinese Finger: Cable grip used to secure tow wires in emergency tow rigging.
Civil Penalty: Statutory fine for failing to remove a wreck or pay financial security.
CLC 1992: International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992 Protocol.
Clean Caribbean and Americas: Industry oil spill cooperative supporting regional casualty response.
CO2 Smothering: Fixed fire-fighting system in cargo holds and machinery spaces.
Coastal State: State with sovereignty or jurisdiction over adjacent maritime zones.
Cofferdam: Temporary watertight enclosure for construction.
Cold Cut: Hydraulic, diamond wire, or abrasive cutting without sparks, mandatory on tankers and gas carriers.
Collision Bulkhead: Forward transverse bulkhead, often the last line of defence after bow damage.
Compressed Air Dewatering: Use of air pressure to expel water from sealed tanks or compartments.
Constructive Total Loss: Damage such that repair cost exceeds insured value, often triggering wreck removal.
Container Cascade: Sequential collapse of stacked containers after parametric roll or grounding.
Container Recovery: Salvage of containers lost overboard, regulated under the London Convention.
Controlled Flooding: Deliberate intake of water to right a vessel or improve grounding stability.
Costa Concordia: 2012 cruise ship grounding off Giglio, parbuckled and refloated 2013 to 2014.
Crane Barge: Self-propelled or towed pontoon carrying a heavy lift crane for wreck removal.
Cure: Successful salvage outcome that triggers a reward under the no cure no pay principle.
Current Buster: NOFI sweep boom system for high-current oil recovery developed in Norway.
Cutting Plan: Engineering drawing showing wreck section cuts, lift points, and sequencing.

D

Daughter Vessel: Smaller craft launched from a salvage mother ship for shallow water work.
DCO: Designated Casualty Officer in some flag administrations responsible for intervention.
Deck Barge: Flat-decked unmanned barge used to carry pumps, salvage gear, and recovered wreckage.
Declaration of Salvage Services: Formal LOF notification served on owner and cargo interests.
Deep Salvage: Operations in water depths beyond saturation diving, dependent on ROV and lift systems.
Dewatering: Pumping water out of flooded compartments to recover buoyancy.
Diamond Wire: Cable studded with industrial diamond beads used for cold cutting steel underwater.
Director of Marine Salvage: Senior salvor role overseeing on-scene execution and contract.
Dispersant: Chemical applied to oil spills to break oil into smaller droplets.
Diving Bell: Pressurised chamber for transferring saturation divers to underwater work sites.
DNV: Det Norske Veritas (DNV); IACS member classification society.
Donjon Marine: US east coast salvage contractor with OPA 90 OSRO standing.
Double hull: Submarine construction with separate pressure and outer hulls.
Dredge Cut: Channel excavation to refloat a grounded ship without further hull damage.
DSV: Dive Support Vessel, dynamically positioned platform for saturation diving operations.
Dynamic Positioning: Computer-controlled thruster station keeping for salvage and dive vessels.

E

EMSA: European Maritime Safety Agency, supporting Paris MoU and EU Member States on PSC.
Engine Room Flooding: Common casualty mode requiring pump deployment and breach closure.
Environmental Salvage: Operations whose primary value lies in preventing pollution under Article 14.
Erika: 1999 tanker breakup off Brittany prompting EU Erika I, II, and III packages.
EU Directive 2002/59/EC: Vessel Traffic Monitoring Directive including place of refuge provisions.
Exclusion Zone: Cordon around a casualty enforced by coastal state for safety and security.
Express Salvage Award: Lloyd's expedited determination procedure for small claims.
External Firefighting: FiFi class one to three water cannon attack from tugs and standby ships.

F

Fairlead: Fitting that leads a rope in the desired direction without chafe.
Fedra: 2008 bulk carrier grounding at Europa Point, Gibraltar, refloated in sections.
FiFi: Fire-fighting capability classification one, two, or three for salvage and support tugs.
Final Award: Concluding salvage arbitration determination after all evidence and submissions.
Financial Security: Insurance, bank guarantee, or P&I cover evidencing wreck removal capacity.
Five Oceans Salvage: Greek-based salvage contractor with global LOF response capability.
Fixed Price Contract: Wreck removal on a lump-sum basis under WRECKFIXED 2010.
Flag State Intervention: Action by the registry to require salvage or wreck removal compliance.
Floating Crane: Heavy-lift crane vessel.
Flooding Pattern: Documented record of progressive water ingress used in salvage stability calculation.
Foundering: Loss of a vessel by flooding and sinking, distinct from capsizing or breakup.
Free Surface: Air-sea interface allowed to move in dynamic ocean models.
Freshwater Bag: Flexible bladder used to store and transport potable water on salvage sites.
Friction Coefficient: Hull to seabed grip value used in pull force calculations for refloat.

G

GAR: Gross Salvage Reward expressed as a percentage of salved value, common arbitration shorthand.
General Average: Loss voluntarily incurred for the common safety, contributed by all interests under York-Antwerp Rules.
Glomar Explorer: 1974 CIA covert deep-ocean salvage vessel for K-129 submarine wreck recovery.
GMDSS Alert: Distress message that often triggers a salvor's no cure no pay tender.
Grounding Survey: Bottom and structural inspection after touching bottom or grounding.

H

Hatch Cover Breach: Common ingress point during bulk carrier casualties prompting salvage.
Hazard Determination: Coastal state finding under Nairobi Article 6 that a wreck poses a hazard.
Heavy Fuel Oil: Bunker fuel grade requiring heated lightering during salvage offload.
Heavy Lift Vessel: Semi submersible ship that floats under a wreck section for dry transport.
Heeling Pump: Cross-flooding pump used to control vessel list during salvage.
Helideck Salvage: Provision of helicopter access to a casualty for personnel and equipment.
Hold Cleaning: Final stage operation removing cargo residue before vessel release.
Hot Tap: Drilling into a tank under pressure without releasing contents, key oil removal tool.
Hot Work: Cutting or welding generating sparks, restricted around hydrocarbons during salvage.
Hull Patch: Steel or composite plate fitted over damage to permit dewatering.
Hydraulic Shears: Underwater steel-cutting tool used in wreck dismantling.
Hydrostatic Release Unit: Device freeing rafts and beacons from sunken vessels.

I

ICS: International Chamber of Shipping, industry body.
Immediate Response: Initial 24 to 72 hours when salvor reaches casualty and stabilises situation.
In-situ Burning: Controlled ignition of contained oil slick as primary response technique.
Incident Action Plan: Operational document under ICS covering one operational period.
Inert gas system: IGS, system inerting tanker cargo tanks.
Intervention Convention 1969: Coastal state right to act on the high seas to prevent pollution.
IOPC Funds: International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds 1992 and Supplementary.
ISB: In Situ Burning of oil under approved environmental and safety conditions.
ISU: International Salvage Union, professional body for the salvage industry founded 1995.
ITOPF: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, technical adviser to shipowner and P&I.

J

Jacking System: Strand jacks used for parbuckling and lifting heavy wreck sections.
Joint Industry Project: Cooperative funding of salvage technology research and trials.

K

Kentledge: Pig-iron permanent ballast.
Kursk K-141: 2000 Russian submarine loss, raised 2001 by Mammoet and SMIT in Operation Regalia.

L

Lashing Failure: Loss of container stack integrity that creates wreck and salvage demand.
Liability cap: Contractual or statutory limit of owner liability.
Lift Bag: Inflatable buoyancy device used by divers to recover small wreck and debris.
Lifting Frame: Engineered structure built around wreck section for crane lift.
Lightering: Transfer of cargo or bunkers from casualty to lighter vessels.
LLMC: Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, with wreck removal opt-in.
Lloyd's Open Form: Standard salvage contract, current edition LOF 2020 with SCOPIC 2020.
Lloyd's Salvage Arbitration Branch: Body administering LOF awards and appeals in London.
Lloyd's Standard Salvage and Arbitration Clauses: LSSA clauses governing LOF procedure.
LOF 2000: Edition incorporating Article 14 and SCOPIC by reference.
LOF 2011: Edition with simplified arbitration and FIXED COST clauses.
LOF 2020: Current Lloyd's Open Form with updated SCOPIC 2020 and digital signature.
LR: See Lloyd's Register.

M

MAIB: Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom, established under the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 and operating from Southampton.
Mammoet Salvage: Heavy lift specialist active in raising of Kursk and similar deep wreck lifts.
Marine Warranty Surveyor: Independent assurance role on heavy lift, tow, and salvage moves.
MARPOL: International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the 1978 and 1997 Protocols; the IMO treaty governing marine pollution across six annexes.
MCA: UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, responsible for SOSREP intervention.
MIRG: Maritime Incident Response Group, firefighter teams boarding casualties offshore.
Modern Express: 2016 car carrier listing off Bay of Biscay, towed to Bilbao by SMIT salvors.
MOU: Memorandum of Understanding for cross-border salvage cooperation.
MSC Napoli: 2007 container ship beached at Branscombe, Devon, after Channel structural failure.
MV Wakashio: 2020 bulk carrier grounding off Mauritius, wreck removal by SMIT and Nippon Salvage.

N

Nairobi Convention 2007: Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, supported by P&I blue cards.
NEBA: Net Environmental Benefit Analysis, framework for choosing response options.
Nippon Salvage: Japanese salvage contractor, NSK acted on Wakashio with SMIT.
No Cure No Pay: traditional salvage principle that salvors are paid only on success.
NOFI: Norwegian boom and current buster manufacturer used in offshore oil response.
NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board of the United States, independent agency conducting major marine investigations alongside the USCG.

O

OPA 90: Oil Pollution Act 1990, US oil pollution liability statute.
Operational Period: Defined work cycle under ICS for salvage execution and reporting.
Operations Section Chief: ICS role directing tactical salvage activity on scene.
OPRC 1990: International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation.
OSC: On-Scene Coordinator designated under the IAMSAR Manual to lead SAR operations on site.
OSRL: Oil Spill Response Limited, industry-funded tier 3 responder based in Southampton.
OSRO: Oil Spill Response Organization classified by US Coast Guard under OPA 90.

P

Parbuckling: Rotational righting of a capsized vessel as performed on Costa Concordia 2013.
Passive Salvage: Standing by a casualty without active intervention pending instructions.
Patch Plate: Pre-fabricated steel sheet bolted or welded over hull damage.
PIANC: World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
Place of Refuge: Sheltered area allowing a casualty to stabilise, framed by IMO Resolution A.949(23).
Plug and Patch: Combined sealing of small holes and larger breaches before dewatering.
Pollution Mitigation: Activities under Article 14 attracting special compensation when SCOPIC absent.
Port state control: PSC inspection regime.
Prestige: 2002 tanker breakup off Galicia, stern section closure operation completed 2017.
Pull Test: Bollard pull trial to confirm salvage tug capability for a refloat plan.
Pumping Equipment: Submersible, hydraulic, and Wellpoint pumps for dewatering casualties.

Q

Quarter Tow: Towing arrangement where a salvor pulls from the casualty quarter for steering control.
Quick Release Hook: Salvage tug fitting allowing emergency release of tow line under load.

R

Reasonable Endeavours: Article 14 standard of effort to protect the environment.
Refloating: Returning a stranded vessel to free-floating condition by lightening or pulling.
Resolution A.949(23): IMO Guidelines on Places of Refuge for Ships in Need of Assistance.
Resolve Marine: US east coast and global salvage contractor and OPA 90 OSRO.
Response Vessel: Tug, OSV, or barge with dedicated salvage or pollution equipment.
Righting moment: Δ*GZ, restoring moment at given heel.
Risk Based Salvage: Decision framework weighing cost, environment, and time on casualty options.
ROV: Remotely Operated Vehicle used for survey, hot tap support, and deep salvage work.

S

Safety officer: Designated officer for occupational safety on board.
Salvage Association: maritime survey organization providing casualty surveys, now part of Braemar.
Salvage Award: Reward fixed under Salvage Convention 1989 criteria or LOF arbitration.
Salvage Convention 1989: International Convention on Salvage, with Article 14 special compensation.
Salvage Engineer: Naval architect calculating stability, strength, and refloat parameters.
Salvage Master: Senior salvor in charge of on-scene operations and contract delivery.
Salvage Plan: Document setting out method, equipment, and risk control for the operation.
Salvage Reward: Money payable to salvor for successful salvage, fixed by Article 13 criteria.
Salvage Tug: High-powered tug for casualty response.
Salved Value: Post-salvage value of ship, cargo, freight, and bunkers, the award denominator.
SCAT: Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique, US-origin method for oiled shoreline survey.
SCOPIC: Special Compensation P&I Club Clause, optional supplement to LOF providing P&I-funded tariff remuneration where Article 14 might otherwise apply.
SCOPIC Remuneration: Tariff-based payment to salvor regardless of cure when invoked.
Sea Empress: 1996 tanker grounding off Milford Haven, salvage by Smit Tak.
Sea Suction: Discharging cargo or bunkers directly to a ship to ship lightering vessel.
Security Bond: Cash or guarantee posted by cargo and ship interests to release a salved vessel.
Sheerleg: Heavy lift crane vessel with A-frame, used for wreck removal lifts.
Ship to Ship Lightering: STS transfer of cargo or bunkers from casualty to receiving vessel.
SMIT Salvage: Dutch salvage contractor founded 1842, part of Boskalis since 2010.
SOLAS: International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974; the IMO treaty setting minimum construction, equipment, and operation standards for merchant ships.
SOSREP: UK Secretary of State Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention.
Special Compensation: compensation under Article 14 of the Salvage Convention 1989 for salvors preventing environmental damage.
Spread: Combination of vessels, equipment, and crew mobilised for a specific salvage job.
SSP: Salvage Service Plan submitted by salvor to authorities under OPA 90 and similar regimes.
Standby: Salvor presence at a casualty without active operations, sometimes paid daily.
Stern Tube Seal: Common ingress point requiring salvage attention on grounded vessels.
STS Lightering: Ship to ship transfer of cargo or bunkers, often in casualty situations.
Subrogation: Insurer's right to step into the insured's claim against third parties.
Svitzer Salvage: Maersk owned salvage division, joint Ardent venture closed 2019.

T

T&T Salvage: US headquartered salvage contractor with OPA 90 OSRO standing.
Tactical Pumping Plan: Engineered sequence for dewatering compartments to control trim and heel.
Tank cleaning: Cleaning of cargo tanks between cargoes.
TBT: Tributyltin antifouling paint, hazardous in wreck dismantling and disposal.
Tide Window: Daily period of suitable tide level for refloating or wreck lift operations.
Tier One Spill: Localised pollution within operator's own response capability.
Tier Three Spill: Major incident requiring international resources such as OSRL.
Titan Salvage: Crowley salvage subsidiary, parbuckled Costa Concordia, merged into Ardent 2015.
Total Constructive Loss: Synonym for constructive total loss in salvage and underwriting.
TOWCON 2008: BIMCO international ocean towage agreement, lump sum.
TOWCON 2021: Updated BIMCO international ocean towage agreement, lump sum.
TOWHIRE 2008: BIMCO international ocean towage agreement, daily hire.
Tricolor: 2002 car carrier sinking in the Channel after collision, dismantled by SMIT and Multraship.
Trim Calculation: Naval architectural step to predict refloat draft and bottom clearance.
Tug Master: Skilled professional master of a tug.

U

UKHO Notice: Hydrographic warning of wreck location for safe navigation.
Underdeck Sealing: Inserting patches under deck plating to recover buoyancy.
Underwriter: person or entity accepting risk in exchange for premium.

V

VDR: Voyage Data Recorder, required under SOLAS V/20.
Vessel Response Plan: OPA 90 mandated owner plan listing salvor, OSRO, and firefighter.
VLCC: Very Large Crude Carrier, 200,000-320,000 DWT.
VOC Monitoring: Continuous gas measurement around casualty for entry and pumping safety.

W

Wakashio: 2020 Japanese owned bulker grounded on Mauritius reef, broken in two for removal.