A
AA                                 Always Afloat
AAAA                           Always Accessible Always Afloat
AARA                        Amsterdam-Antwerp-Rotterdam Area
ABT                            About
ADCOM                    Address Commission
AFSPS                      Arrival First Sea Pilot Station (Norway)
AFFREIGHTMENT The hiring of a ship in whole or part
AFT At or towards the stern or rear of a ship
AGW All Going Well
AHL Australian Hold Ladders
ANTHAM Antwerp-Hamburg Range
APS Arrival Pilot Station
ARAG Amsterdam-Rotterdam--Antwerp-Ghent Range
A/S Alongside
ATDNSHINC Any Time Day or Night Sundays and Holidays Included
ATUTC Actual Times Used to Count
B
BAF Bunker Adjustment Factor. A Fuel Surcharge expressed as a percentage added or subtracted from the freight amount reflecting the movement in the market place price for bunkers.
BALLAST Heavy weight, often sea water, necessary for the stability and safety of a ship which is not carrying cargo.
BAREBOAT CHTR Bareboat Charter - Owners lease a specific ship and control its technical management and commercial operations only.
BBB Before Breaking Bulk
BDI Both Dates Inclusive
BENDS Both Ends (Load & Discharge Ports)
BI Both Inclusive
BIMCO The Baltic and International Maritime Council
BL (1) Bale
BL (2) (Bill of Lading) A document signed by the carrier which acts as a receipt and evidence of title to the cargo.
BM Beam
BEAM The maximum breadth of a ship
BOB Bunker on Board
BOFFER Best Offer
BROB Bunkers Remaining on Board
BSS Basis
BSS 1/1 Basis 1 Port to 1 Port
BT Berth Terms
BUNDLING This is the assembly of pieces of cargo, secured into one manageable unit.  This is a very flexible description, a rule of thumb is to present cargo at a size easily handled by a large (20 tonne) fork lift truck.
BUNKERS Name given for vessels Fuel and Diesel Oil supplies (Originates from coal bunkers)
BWAD Brackish Water Arrival Draft
C
CBM Cubic Meter
CBFT (or CFT) Cubic Feet
CFR (or C&F) Cost and Freight
CHOPT Charterers Option
CHTRS Charterers
CIF Cost, Insurance & Freight. Seller pays all these costs to a nominated port or place of discharge.
COA Contract of Affreightment - Owners agree to accept a cost per revenue ton for cargo carried on a specificnumber of voyages.
COACP Contract of Affreightment Charter Party
COB Close of Business
COD Cash On Delivery
COGSA Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
CONS Consumption
COP Custom Of Port
CP (or C/P) Charter Party
CPD Charterers Pay Dues
CPT Carriage Paid To
CQD Customary Quick Despatch
CROB Cargo Remaining on Board
CRN Crane
CST Centistoke
CTR Container Fitted
D
DAPS Days all Purposes (Total days for loading & discharging)
DDU Delivered Duty unpaid.
DDP Delivered Duty Paid.
DEM Demurrage 
DESP Despatch
DET Detention
DHDATSBE Despatch Half Demurrage on Actual Time Saved Both Ends
DHDWTSBE Despatch Half Demurrage on Working Time Saved Both Ends
DISCH Discharge
DK Deck
DLOSP Dropping Last Outwards Sea Pilot (Norway)
DO Diesel Oil
DOLSP Dropping Off Last Sea Pilot (Norway)
DOP Dropping Outward Pilot
DOT Department of Transport
DNRSAOCLONL Discountless and Non-Returnable Ship and/or Cargo 
Lost or Not Lost
DRAFT Depth to which a ship is immersed in water. The depth varies according to the design of the ship and will be greater or lesser depending not only on the weight of the ship and everything on board, but also on the density of the water in which the ship is lying.
DRK Derrick
DUNNAGE Materials of various types, often timber or matting, placed among the cargo for separation, and hence protection from damage, for ventilation and, in the case of certain cargoes, to provide space in which the forks of a lift truck may be inserted.
DWAT (or DWT) Deadweight. Weight of cargo, stores and water, i.e. the difference between lightship and loaded displacement.
E
EC East Coast
EIU Even if Used
ELVENT Electric Ventilation
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETC Estimated Time of Completion
ETD Estimated Time of Departure
ETS Estimated Time of Sailing
EXW Ex Works
F
FAS Free Alongside Ship. Seller delivers goods to appropriate dock or terminal at port of embarkation and buyer covers costs and risks of loading.
FD Free of Despatch
FDD Freight Demurrage Deadfreight
FDIS Free Discharge
FEU Forty foot container equivalency unit -  Standard 40' Container
FHEX Fridays/Holidays Excluded
FHINC Fridays/Holidays Included
FILO Free In/Liner Out. Seafreight with which the shipper pays load costs and the carrier pays for discharge costs.
FIO Free In/Out. Freight booked FIO includes the seafreight,but no loading/discharging costs, i.e. the charterer pays for cost of loading and discharging cargo.
FIOS Free In/Out Stowed. As per FIO, but includes stowage costs.
FIOT Free In/Out and Trimmed. As per FIOS but includes trimming - the leveling of bulk cargoes
FIOSLSD Free In/Out Stowed, Lashed, Secured and Dunnaged. As per FIO,but includes cost of lashing securing and dunnaging cargo to Masters satisfaction.
FIOST Free In/Out and Trimmed. Charterer pays for cost of loading/discharging cargo, including stowage and trimming.
FIT Free In Trimmed
FIW Free In Wagon
FIXING Chartering a Vessel
FLT Full Liner Terms - Shipowner pays to load and discharge the cargo
FMC Federal Maritime Commission - US government agency
FMS Fathoms - 6 feet
FO (IFO)       FuelOil/Intermediate FO
FOB Free on Board. Seller sees the goods "over the ship's rail" on to the ship which is arranged and paid for by the buyer
FOFFER Firm Offer
FOG For Our Guidance
FOQ Free On Quay
FOR Free On Rail
FORCE MAJEURE Clause limiting responsibilities of the charterers, shippers and receivers due to events beyond their control.
FOT Free On Truck
FOW (1) First Open Water
FOW (2) Free On Wharf
FREE OUT Free of discharge costs to Owners
FWAD Fresh Water Arrival Draft
FWDD Fresh Water Departure Draft
FYG For Your Guidance
FYI For Your Information
G
GA General Average
GLS Gearless
GNCN Gencon  - a standard BIMCO charter party form
GN (or GR) Grain (capacity)
GO Gas Oil
GRD Geared
GRT Gross Registered Tonnage
GSB Good Safe Berth
GSP Good Safe Port
GTEE Guarantee
H
2H Second Half
HA Hatch
HDWTS Half Despatch Working Time Saved
HMS Heavy Metal Scrap
HO Hold
HW High Water
I
IMDG International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code
IMO International Maritime Organisation
IND Indication
INTERMODAL Carriage of a commodity by different modes of transport, i.e. sea, road, rail and air within a single journey.
ITF International Transport Federation - international body that regulates crewing of ships
IU If Used
IUATUTC If Used, Actual Time Used To Count
IUHATUTC If Used, Half Actual Time Used To Count
IWL Institute Warranty Limits
L
LANE METER A method of measuring the space capacity of Ro/Ro ships whereby each unit of space (Linear Meter) is represented width.
LASH (1) To hold goods in position by use of Ropes, Wires, Chains or Straps etc.
LASH (2) Lighter Aboard Ship - a vessel that loads small barges direct from the water
LAT Latitude
LOA Length Overall of the vessel
LOW Last Open Water
LS (or LUMPS) Lumpsum
LSD Lashed Secured Dunnaged
LT Liner Terms
LW Low Water
LYCN Laycan (Layday Cancelling Date)
M
MB Merchant Broker
MDO (DO) Marine Diesel Oil
MIN/MAX Minimum/Maximum (cargo quantity)
MOLCHOPT More or Less Charterers Option
MOLOO More or Less Owners Option
MT Metric Tonne (i.e. 1,000 kilos / 2204.6lbs)
M/V Motor Vessel
N
NAABSA Not Always Afloat But Safely Aground
NCB National Cargo Bureau
NESTING Implies that cargo is presented stacked in the contour of similarly shaped cargo, it may be likened to a stack of plates.
NON-REVERSIBLE then saved days will not be added to discharge time 
(Detention). If loading completed sooner than expected,  allowed.
NOR Notice of Readiness
NRT Net Registered Tonnage
NYPE New York Produce Exchange
O
OO Owners Option
OSH Open Shelter Deck
OWS Owners
P
PASTUS Past Us
PC Period of Charter
PCGO Part Cargo
PCT Percent
PDPR Per Day Pro Rata
PERDIEM Per Diem - By the Day
PHPD Per Hatch Per Day
PRATIQUE License or permission to use a port
R
RCVR Receivers
REVERSIBLE (Detention)      If loading completed sooner than expected at load port, then days saved can be added  to discharge operations.
ROB Remaining On Board
RT Revenue Tonne (i.e. 1.0 metric Tonne or 1.0 cubic meter,whichever greater).  The overall RT is calculated on a line by line basis of the Packing List using the largest amount. The overall freight liability is calculated on the total RT amount,  multiplied by the  freight rate.
S
SATPM Saturday P.M.
SB Safe Berth
SD (or SID) Single Decker
SEAFREIGHT Costs charged for transporting goods over the sea. This does not cover any haulage or loading/discharging costs but the sea transport only.
SELFD Self Discharging
SF Stowage factor. Cubic space occupied by one ton (2,240 lbs/1,000 kgs) of cargo.
SHINC Sundays/Holidays Included
SHEX Sundays/Holidays Excluded
SKIDS Are bearers (timber or steel) positioned under cargo to enable fork lift handling at port, and for ease of rigging and lashing on board ship.
SL Bale (capacity)
SOC Shipper Owned Container
SOF Statement Of Facts
SP Safe Port
SRBL Signing and Releasing Bill of Lading
SSHEX (or SATSHEX) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays Excluded
SSHINC   (or SATSHINC) Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays Included
STABILITY It is paramount that a vessel is stable in all respects at all times. When cargo is loaded/discharged, the stability is monitored by a computer, which takes into vessel.
STARBOARD Right side of a ship when facing the bow
STEM Subject To Enough Merchandise (Availability of Cargo)
STERN The aft part of a ship
SUB Subject (to)
SUPERCARGO Person employed by a ship owner, shipping company, charterer of a ship or shipper of goods to supervise cargo handling operations. Often called a port captain.
SWAD Salt Water Arrival Draft
SWDD Salt Water Departure Draft
T
TC Time Charter - Owners agree to hire a particular ship for a set length of time
TEU Twenty Foot Equivalency Unit - Standard 20' Container
TTL Total
TW Tween Decker
U Unless Sooner Commenced
USC Unless Used
UU Unless Used If Used Actual Time Used To Count
UUIUATUTC
V
VPD Vessel Pays Dues
W
WCCON Whether Customs Cleared Or Not
WIBON Whether In Berth Or Not
WIFPON Whether In Free Pratique or not
WIPON Whether In Port Or Not
WLTOHC (distance)  Water Line-To-Hatch Coaming
WOG Without Guarantee
WPD Weather Permitting Day
WWD Weather Working Day
WRIC Wire Rods In Coils
WWR When, Where Ready
WWWW Wibon, Wccon, Wifpon, Wipon
Y
YAR York Antwerp Rules

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