Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Ports, Terminals and Stevedoring glossary (page 2)

The operational vocabulary of ports, terminals, and stevedoring: access channels and accumulation yards, accommodation ladders, abnormal-load handling, the port trade bodies (AAPA), and the cargo-handling and yard-planning terms used on the quay. The operations-floor counterpart to the port civil-engineering section.

728 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 2 of 3).

F

Foreman: stevedore supervisor responsible for a gang or hatch.
Forepeak: forward ballast tank, relevant to draft calculation.
Forward perpendicular: vertical reference at the bow used for LBP measurement.
Free dispatch: time-saving credit under charterparty terms.
Free in and out: FIO, charterparty term shifting load/discharge costs to charterer.
Free time: Period a container may stay at a terminal or with a customer before demurrage or detention starts.
FROB: Foreign cargo Remaining on Board, US CBP term for transit containers staying onboard at a US port.
FSRU: Floating storage and regasification unit for LNG import.
Fuel barge: vessel delivering bunkers to ships at berth or anchor.
Full container load: FCL.
Funicular: cable-hauled inclined transport, occasionally used at hillside cruise terminals.

G

Gang: stevedore work crew assigned to a hatch or piece of equipment.
Gangway: Movable ramp or bridge for boarding.
Gantry crane: Rail-mounted gantry such as STS, RMG, or RTG.
Gantt chart: vessel berthing schedule visualization in BAS software.
Gate appointment: time slot booked by a trucker for entry or exit.
Gate hours: published operating hours for trucker access.
Gate move: container handover at the gate, in or out.
Gate ratio: trucks served per gate hour.
GAW: gross axle weight, monitored at terminal weighbridges.
General Average: Loss voluntarily incurred for the common safety, contributed by all interests under York-Antwerp Rules.
General Cargo: Mixed packaged or breakbulk goods.
Genset: clip-on generator for reefer containers during road or rail transport.
GHG protocol: emissions reporting framework adopted by ports under Scope 1/2/3.
GMPH: Gross Moves Per Hour, container moves per working hour including waits.
Goliath crane: heavy-lift shipyard gantry, e.g., Samsung Geoje 1,000 t Goliath.
Grab Dredger: Crane-grab-based dredger.
Grab unloader: shore-based crane with grab bucket for discharging bulk vessels.
Grain terminal: facility with silos, elevators, and ship loaders or unloaders.
Gross berth productivity: container moves per total berth hour.
Gross crane productivity: moves per crane elapsed hour including delays.
Groyne: shore-perpendicular structure trapping sediment.
GT: Gross Tonnage, vessel volume measure used for port dues.
Guarded by tug: tug standing by during cargo operations.
Gulftainer: UAE-based terminal operator with facilities in the Middle East and US.
Gypsum terminal: dry bulk berth for gypsum trades, common in Mediterranean and Gulf.

H

Half ahead: Engine order for moderate forward speed.
Hammerhead crane: historic cantilever shipyard crane, e.g., Stobcross Crane Glasgow.
Hand winch: manual mooring winch on small vessels.
Hapag-Lloyd terminal: equity stake terminals in Wilhelmshaven, JadeWeserPort, and others.
Harbor master: senior port officer responsible for marine operations and safety.
Harbour mobile crane: HMC, rubber-tyred multipurpose crane such as Liebherr LHM 800 or Konecranes ESP.10.
Harbour pilot: pilot conducting port arrival, shifting, and departure manoeuvres.
Harbour tug: Conventional or ASD tug serving port.
Hard stand: paved area for heavy equipment storage.
Hatch cover: Watertight cover over a cargo hatch.
Hatch foreman: stevedore supervisor for a specific hatch.
Hatch lid: alternative term for hatch cover.
Hatch list: container manifest by hatch for stowage planning.
Hazmat: Hazardous materials, regulated under IMDG and 49 CFR.
HDPE pipe: high-density polyethylene pipe used in dredging discharge lines.
Header: collection pipe at tank terminal manifolds.
Heavy lift: Cargo above the lifting capacity of standard ship gear.
Heavy lift berth: berth with reinforced apron and clearance for project cargo cranes.
Heel: Transverse inclination of the vessel.
Helideck: Flight deck on surface combatant sized for embarked helicopter.
Hellenic Cables: supplier of shore-power cabling used in cold-ironing installations.
High-mast lighting: 30 m or taller mast illuminating yards.
HMM Algeciras: largest container ship class designation often used for berth design.
Hold Cleaning: Final stage operation removing cargo residue before vessel release.
Holding tank: shoreside tank for sewage or ballast reception.
Hopper: funnel-shaped container receiving bulk from grabs and feeding conveyors or trucks.
Hopper barge: Self propelled or towed dredger spoil barge.
Hopper Dredger: TSHD/THSD trailing-suction hopper dredger.
Hostler: alternative US term for a yard tractor.
Hot Work: Cutting or welding generating sparks, restricted around hydrocarbons during salvage.
HSE: UK Health and Safety Executive; offshore safety regulator UKCS.
HSM: Heerema heavy-lift vessel, occasionally calling project cargo berths.
Hub port: port with high transshipment share, e.g., Singapore, Algeciras, Rotterdam.
Hutchison Ports: global terminal operator headquartered in Hong Kong.
Hybrid RTG: RTG with battery and diesel for fuel savings, e.g., Konecranes hybrid RTG.
Hydrographic survey: IHO S-44 compliant bathymetric survey.
Hyster: US manufacturer of forklifts and container handlers.

I

IAPH: International Association of Ports and Harbors.
ICHCA: International Cargo Handling Coordination Association.
IFC marine terminal information system: see MTIS.
IMDG Code: International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, mandatory under SOLAS VII Part A.
IMO Number: Unique seven-digit ship identifier from IHS Markit on behalf of IMO.
IMPA: International Maritime Pilots Association.
In-pavement lighting: embedded LEDs marking AGV paths.
Inboard: Toward the centerline; on the inside of the ship.
Inbound vessel: vessel arriving at the port.
Inert gas: nitrogen or flue gas blanketing chemical or oil tanks during transfer.
Inland port: Port on inland waterway.
Inshore tug: small tug used in shallow harbors.
Inspection bay: physical examination area at customs gates.
Instron: brand of mooring line tensile testing equipment.
Intermodal yard: rail yard within or adjacent to a marine terminal.
International Ship and Port Facility Security Code: ISPS Code.
Interterminal transport: ITT, container movement between adjacent terminals.
IPC: Internal Pier Cleat.
Iron ore terminal: bulk facility with stackers, reclaimers, and ship loaders.
ISGOTT: International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals, 6th edition.
ISL: Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics, Bremen.
Island berth: berth at an offshore platform with mooring dolphins.
ISO container: standardized intermodal container per ISO 668.
ISPS: see International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.
IWT: Inland Waterway Transport, key in European hinterland connectivity.

J

Jack-up berth: berth where mobile jack-up units load offshore wind components.
Jacobsen pilot ladder: rigid combination ladder used in pilot embarkation.
JadeWeserPort: deepwater container port in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Jetty: Marine structure projecting from shore for berthing.
Jetty head: enlarged platform at the seaward end of a jetty.
Jetty hose: flexible hose used for transferring liquids at jetties without rigid arms.
JIT arrival: Just in Time arrival for ships entering ports.
Job ticket: paper or digital record of equipment moves per shift.
Jumboizing: vessel lengthening, occasionally requiring extended berth design.
Just-In-Time Pilot Boarding: Industry trend reducing port-area emissions.

K

Kalmar: Cargotec brand for terminal tractors, reach stackers, straddle carriers.
Kaohsiung port: major Taiwanese container port with PSA and Evergreen facilities.
Kart: light AGV variant.
Keel block: Block on which a vessel sits in a dry dock.
Keel clearance: vertical distance between keel and seabed.
Keel laying: Symbolic placement of first block in dock.
King post: Vertical post supporting cargo booms.
Knock-down barge: shallow-draft transport barge for project cargo.
Knot: One nautical mile per hour.
Knuckle boom: articulated crane geometry used on offshore supply vessels.
Koehring: legacy US crane manufacturer.
Konecranes: Finnish manufacturer of STS, RTG, RMG, and reach stackers.
Kuhn-Loeb: legacy port concession financier, occasionally referenced in port history.
Kwinana bulk terminal: example Australian alumina export terminal.

L

Ladder: pilot ladder, accommodation ladder, or fixed quay ladder for personnel.
Land bridge: rail link connecting two seaboards through a port.
Land-side: inland side of the terminal opposite the waterside.
Landfall: First sighting of land after ocean passage.
Landlord port: Governance model where port authority owns land, leases to private operators.
Landside operations: gate, yard, and rail activities outside the quay zone.
Lash barge: lighter aboard ship system, historic but still in spares trade.
Lashing: Securing containers on a vessel with rods, turnbuckles, and twistlocks.
Lashing bridge: Elevated platform above the hatch covers from which containers are lashed.
Lashing platform: portable platform at first tier for manual lashing.
Last line off: timestamp at unmooring marking completion of berth time.
Launder: trough conveying slurry or fluidized bulk.
Layby berth: berth for vessels awaiting orders or repair.
LBP: Length Between Perpendiculars, basis for many berth design calculations.
LCL: Less than container load.
Leading lights: aligned shore lights marking a channel centerline.
Leftbank dolphin: mooring dolphin to port-side of berth.
Length overall: Greatest length of the vessel.
Letter of Protest: LOP, document issued during disputes at the cargo interface.
Lift-on lift-off: lo-lo, vertical container handling mode.
Liftgate: small portal at the gate for non-truck access.
Lighter: Flat-bottomed harbor vessel for transferring cargo to and from ships in roadsteads.
Lighterage: transfer of cargo by lighter when vessels cannot berth.
Linehandler: shore worker handling mooring lines.
Liner berth: berth dedicated to a regular liner service.
Linkspan: hinged ramp connecting ro-ro vessel to shore.
LIQUEFIED BULK: cargo categories under MARPOL Annex I and II.
Liquid bulk terminal: Terminal for oil, chemicals, or gas.
LNG Bunkering: Process of supplying liquefied natural gas as marine fuel.
LNG import terminal: regasification facility, e.g., Isle of Grain, Sabine Pass, Dahej.
LNGC: Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier.
LoadMaster: brand of crane load monitoring system.
Lock: Navigation lock raising or lowering vessels.
Long ton: 2,240 lb, occasional unit in older charter parties.
Loop currents: tidal currents affecting berth operations in certain ports.
LPG terminal: liquefied petroleum gas import or export facility with refrigerated or pressurized storage.
LR1, LR2: long range product tanker classes.

M

MacGregor: Common type of folding steel hatch cover.
MACRA: mobile harbour crane rating per FEM/ISO.
Mafi trailer: roll trailer with king-pin coupling, originally MAFI brand, used in ro-ro operations.
Main deck stowage: containers loaded above hatch covers.
Maintenance dredging: periodic dredging maintaining design depths.
Manifold: Pipe assembly at the ship side where bunker hoses connect.
Manning constant: hydraulic roughness coefficient used in channel design.
Manrope: Steady rope at a gangway or ladder.
Mantsinen: Finnish maker of hydraulic harbor cranes.
Marine loading arm: rigid articulated arm transferring liquids or LNG at jetties.
Marine Pilot: Compulsory pilot for ports and confined waters.
Mariner: TideWorks TOS product for terminals.
MARPOL Annex VI reception: facility receiving exhaust gas cleaning residues and similar wastes.
Mass flow meter: MFM, custody transfer meter required for bunkering in Singapore and other ports.
Master pilot exchange: MPX, structured pre-arrival briefing.
Master's Authority: Power to bind owner in contracts of necessity and salvage.
Maximum sailing draft: deepest permitted departure draft from a berth.
Mediterranean Shipping Company: MSC, owns terminals via Terminal Investment Limited.
MHC: see harbour mobile crane.
Mid-stream operation: cargo handling at anchor without quayside berthing, common in Hong Kong.
Mine yard: pre-stow stack at automated terminals.
MMS: Maritime Mobile Service or various port MMS messaging systems.
Mole: Massive coastal structure projecting into the sea.
Mooring boat: launch handling lines to buoys or dolphins.
Mooring buoy: Buoy to which a ship may secure.
Mooring dolphin: Isolated structure for mooring lines.
Mooring master: pilot specialized in offshore single-point mooring operations.
Mooring plan: documented bollard, line, and tug arrangement for a berth.
Mooring system analysis: OCIMF MEG4-compliant calculations for tanker berths.
Mooring tail: synthetic tail at the end of high-modulus mooring lines.
Mother vessel: Mainline vessel served by feeders.
MOTS: Multibuoy Mooring or Marine Oil Terminal System.
MPH: Moves Per Hour, generic productivity metric.
MRA: Mooring Risk Assessment under OCIMF guidance.
Multipurpose terminal: Terminal for mixed cargo types.

N

Narrow channel rule: COLREGS rule 9 relevant to fairway navigation.
Nautical bottom: depth at which density makes navigation impossible.
Navis N4: Navis terminal operating system, deployed at over 300 terminals worldwide.
Navis SPARCS: legacy Navis TOS, succeeded by N4.
Net berth productivity: moves per working hour excluding shifts and breaks.
Net registered tonnage: NRT, vessel earning capacity measure.
Net throughput: cargo handled excluding restow and shifting moves.
NGO observer: pollution monitoring presence at certain ports.
No-go zone: depth area marked on ECDIS based on UKC calculation.
Nominated agent: shipping agent representing the master at the port.
Non-conformance report: NCR issued for procedural breaches.
Notice of readiness: NOR, formal notice that the vessel is ready to load or discharge.
NUC: vessel Not Under Command, relevant to port traffic management.

O

OCIMF: Oil Companies International Marine Forum, owner of SIRE.
OCR gate: gate with optical character recognition reading container, chassis, and license plate IDs.
OCT: Optical Container Tracking at the apron.
Off-dock CY: container yard outside the marine terminal footprint.
Off-dock rail: rail terminal not directly connected to quay rails.
Offshore terminal: SPM, CALM, or SBM offshore loading terminal.
OilCo terminal: generic term for oil major's leased terminal.
One-stop window: see single window.
Open-storage yard: paved area for cargoes not requiring shelter.
Operating port: governance model where port authority operates terminals (e.g., Singapore historically).
OPS: Onshore Power Supply, IEC/IEEE/ISO 80005-1 standard.
Optical mooring monitoring: laser-based DAS systems measuring vessel motion.
Outbound vessel: vessel departing the port.
Outer harbor: portion of the port outside the inner basins.
Outreach: distance an STS crane spreader can reach beyond the waterside rail.
Over-rail: position on the apron rail of an STS crane.
Over-the-road: container moves leaving the terminal by truck.
Overflow yard: secondary stack used in peak periods.
Overhead lighting: high-mast yard lighting.
Owner's pilot: pilot retained by ship owner outside compulsory pilotage.

P

Pallet handling: forklift movement of palletized cargo in warehousing.
PAR: Pre-Arrival Report submitted to port control.
Parbuckle: Hoist a cylindrical object by rolling it on doubled ropes.
PCC: Pure Car Carrier, served at ro-ro berths.
PCS: Port Community System.
PCTC: Pure Car and Truck Carrier.
PEC: Pilotage Exemption Certificate granted to qualified masters.
Pen Drive: yard area for ro-ro vehicle parking.
Pendant: Short rope with an eye at one end and a thimble at the other.
PFSA: Port Facility Security Assessment.
PFSO: Port Facility Security Officer under ISPS.
PFSP: Port Facility Security Plan.
PIANC: World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
Pier: Berthing structure projecting from shore.
Pilot boat: launch transferring pilots between vessel and shore.
Pilot exchange: handover between deep-sea and harbor pilots.
Pilot Ladder: Ladder constructed to SOLAS V/23 standards.
Pilot Plug: ECDIS data plug used by pilot PPUs.
Pilot station: designated boarding area at sea.
Pilotage area: water area where compulsory pilotage applies.
Pipeline manifold: shore-side connection to tank farms.
Pitch: Vertical motion of bow and stern; tar.
Plough dredger: tractor-style dredger redistributing seabed material.