Maritime Acronyms

Maritime Acronyms

The list below is not exhaustive but the Acronyms will be updated from time to time since new ones will be added. The best way to find the acronym you are searching for is by pressing ctr+f  in your web browser to pop up the search bar and type the acronym you are searching.

2H Second Half
A/S Alongside
AA Always Afloat
AAAA Always Accessible Always Afloat
AARA Amsterdam-Antwerp-Rotterdam Area
ABT About
ADCOM Address Commission
AFFF Aqueous Film Forming Foam
AFFREIGHTMENT The hiring of a ship in whole or part
AFSPS Arrival First Sea Pilot Station (Norway)
AFT At or towards the stern or rear of a ship
AGW All Going Well
AHL Australian Hold Ladders
AIO Admiralty Information Overlay
ALARP As Low As Reasonable Practicable
AMSA Australian Maritime Safety Authority
AMVER Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System
ANTHAM Antwerp-Hamburg Range
APHIS Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
API  American Petroeum Institute
APPS Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships
APS Arrival Pilot Station
APTF Asia Pacific Terminal Forum
ARAG Amsterdam-Rotterdam–Antwerp-Ghent Range
ARPA Automatic Radar Plotting Aid
ASI Annual Safety Inspection
ATDNSHINC Any Time Day or Night Sundays and Holidays Included
ATUTC Actual Times Used to Count
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
BDN Bunker Delivery Note
BEAM The maximum breadth of a ship
BEI Biological Exposure Indices
BENDS Both Ends (Load & Discharge Ports)
BEP Best Environmental Practice
BI Both Inclusive
BIMCO Baltic & 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.
BLG Bulk Liquids and Gases
BM Beam
BMP Best Management Practices
BNWAS Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm System
BOB Bunker on Board
BOEMRE Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
BOFFER Best Offer
BPG Bridge Procedures Guide
BPQ Barge Particulars Questionnaire
BROB Bunkers Remaining on Board
BSG Barge Safety Guide
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 ton) fork lift truck.
BUNKERS Name given for vessels Fuel and Diesel Oil supplies (Originates from coal bunkers)
BWAD Brackish Water Arrival Draft
CAA Clean Air Act
CALM Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring
CAM Court Appointed Monitor
CARB California Air Resources Board
CAS Condition Assessment Scheme
CBA Collective Bargaining Agreement
CBFT (or CFT) Cubic Feet
CBM Cubic Meter
CBP Customs Border Protection
CCM Corporate Compliance Manager
CCNR Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine
CCTV Close Circuit Television
CFG China Focus Group
CFO Chief Financial Officer
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CFR (or C&F) Cost and Freight
CHOPT Charterers Option
CHTRS Charterers
CIC Concentrated Inspection Campaign
CIF Cost, Insurance & Freight. Seller pays all these costs to a nominated port or place of discharge.
CMG Course Made Good
CMID Common Marine Inspection Document
COA Contract of Affreightment Owners agree to accept a cost per revenue ton for cargo carried on a specific number of voyages.
COACP Contract of Affreightment Charter Party
COB Close of Business
COD Cash On Delivery
COG Course Over Ground
COGSA Carriage of Goods by Sea Act
COMSAR Sub-Committee on Radiocommunciations and Search and Rescue
CONCAWE The Oil Companies’ European Organisation for Environment, Health and Safety
CONS Consumption
COP Custom Of Port
COTP Captain of the Port
CP (or C/P) Charter Party
CPA Closest Point of Approach
CPD Charterers Pay Dues
CPR Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
CPT Carriage Paid To
CQD Customary Quick Dispatch
CRN Crane
CROB Cargo Remaining on Board
CSC Convention for Safe Containers
CSM Cargo Securing Manual
CSR Continuous Synopsis Record
CSSC Code of Safe Practice for Stowage & Securing Cargo
CST Centistoke
CTF Carbon Task Force
CTR Container Fitted
CTU Cargo Transport Unit
CWA Clean Water Act
D&A Drug & Alcohol
DAPS Days all Purposes (Total days for loading & discharging)
DDC Deck Decompression Chamber
DDP Delivered Duty Paid.
DDU Delivered Duty unpaid.
DE Design and Equipment
DEM Demurrage
DESP Dispatch
DET Detention
DHDATSBE Dispatch Half Demurrage on Actual Time Saved Both Ends
DHDWTSBE Dispatch Half Demurrage on Working Time Saved Both Ends
DISCH Discharge
DK Deck
DLOSP Dropping Last Outwards Sea Pilot (Norway)
DMLC Decleration of Maritime Labour Convention
DNRSAOCLONL Discountless and Non-Returnable Ship and/or Cargo Lost or Not Lost
DO Diesel Oil
DOB Date of Birth
DOLSP Dropping Off Last Sea Pilot (Norway)
DOP Dropping Outward Pilot
DOT Department of Transport
DR Dead Reckoning
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
DSC Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers
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.
EBL Electronic Range Line
EC East Coast
ECDIS Electronic Chart Display & Information System
ECSA European Community Shipowners Association
EEDI Energy Efficient Design Index
EETF Eastern European Terminal Forum
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
EHQ Emergency Head Quarters
EIU Even if Used
ELVENT Electric Ventilation
EMR Effective Mooring Revision
EMS Environmental Management System
EMSA European Maritime Safety Authority
ENC Electronic Navigational Chart
ENOA Electronic Notice of Arrival
EOS Engine Operating Station
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Estimated Position
EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons
ESPH Evaluation of Safety and Pollution Hazards
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETC Estimated Time of Completion
ETD Estimated Time of Departure
ETOPS Emergency Towing-off Pennant System
ETS Environmental Tags System
ETS Estimated Time of Sailing
EVTMS Enhanced Vessel Traffic Management System
EXCOM Executive Committee
EXW Ex Works
FAL Facilitation Committee
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 Dispatch
FDD Freight Demurrage Deadfreight
FDIS Free Discharge
FEU Forty foot container equivalency unit Standard 40′ Container