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- cabin
- a compartment on board a ship designated as living quarters for persons
- cable
- a rope or chain attached to anchor
- cable length
- distance equal to one-tenth of a nautical mile i.e. approximately 608 feet; in other units it is equivalent to about 100 fathoms or 200 yards
- caboose
- old name for galley
- calendering
- process of pressing a sail cloth between hot steel rollers under high pressure to flatten it and make it more durable
- call sign
- a combination of alphabets and numbers allocated to ships and shore stations for identification purposes
- calm
- of the sea without wind and large waves; still
- calorific value
- amount of heat released by the complete combustion of unit weight of fuel; usually expressed in calories per gram or British Thermal Unit (BTU) per pound
- cant beam
- deck supporting beam arranged in fan-like shape in the fore and aft ends of a ship eg ice breaker
- cant frame
- a frame which supports the structure at a plane that is not perpendicular to the centreline and connected at the upper end to cant beam
- canvas
- material for making the sails of a ship; can be jute cotton or hemp
- canvas sock
- a short hose fitted to the drain pipe at hatch corner
- capacity plan
- a plan showing the arrangement location and capacities of relevant compartments such as holds ballast tanks bunkers fresh water tanks etc
- cape
- a high land projecting into the sea
- Capesize
- a very large bulk carrier with deadweight above 150 000 tons - unable to transit Suez Canal and therefore have to sail round the Cape of Good Hope to and from Europe
- cap rail
- uppermost part of a railing
- capsize
- of a boat to turn over in the water
- captain
- the person in charge of a ship; another title for master
- carbon precursors
- particles formed during the combustion which eventually produce the solid carbon
- cardinal points
- the four principal points of a compass namely North South East and West
- cargo
- goods carried in a ship
- cargo deadweight
- the remaining carrying capacity after deducting from deadweight tonnage the fuel water stores dunnage and such other items necessary for use on a voyage
- cargo net
- a net used for the lifting of small packages or bags; made of rope or wire and be large if used for cargo operation
- cargo plan
- a plan which marks and indicates the locations of various cargoes stowed on board; the plan may be on simple outline of the ships cargo spaces
- carling
- the fore and aft strength member fitted between the deck beams; also known as deck girder
- carrier
- owner or operator of ships who enter into a contract with shipper for the transportation of goods; also refers to the ship carrying cargo
- carving note
- a document filled in by owner of a ship under construction giving ships name tonnage official number port of registry etc and signed by surveyor certifying that the ship particulars have been carved on board
- cast off
- to let go or unfasten mooring lines securing a ship to a berth etc.
- catalytic fines
- extremely hard and abrasive particles of aluminium silicate found in fuel as a result of its use as catalyst in crude oil refineries employing catalytic cracking process; can cause excessive wear in engine parts
- catamaran
- a boat with two parallel hulls side by side
- cathodic protection
- the prevention of corrosion by making the metal to protect a cathode; this is because when corrosion occurs in an electrolyte corrosion cells are set up causing electric currents to flow out from anodes to cathodes; the anodes give itself up or corrode and the cathodes receive current or get protected; on a ship cathodic protection is applied on the ships hull sea water piping system ballast tanks etc.
- catwalk
- an elevated walkway running in the fore and aft direction along the centreline of a ship from poop deck to forecastle deck; provides safe acccess to bow during heavy seas; generally found in large tanker
- caulk
- of wooden vessel to make a joint watertight by filling the seams between the planks with oakum or similar material
- cavitation
- a phenomenon in which the pressure within a liquid falls to a level low enough for the liquid to vaporise and form local cavities; this may occur in a propeller rotating in water causing a drop in propeller efficiency and pitting on blade surfaces
- Celsius
- the measurement unit for temperature where 0oC is the freezing temperature and 100oC is the boiling point for water; also known as Centigrade
- centreline
- the middle line of a ship running in the fore and aft direction
- centre of buoyancy
- the geometrical centre of the volume of water displaced by a floating ship that is where the total moments of the displaced volume about this centre is zero
- centre of flotation
- the geometrical centre of the waterplane areas around which a ship may be assumed to trim
- centre of gravity
- the geometrical centre of a ship through which the whole weight of the ship may be assumed to act
- certificate of competency
- certificate issued to seafarers after passing examinations conducted to test their competency in handling ships matters; may be divided into deck and engine categories and graded from class 5 to 1 where 1 being the highest grade
- certificate of registry
- a certificate stating the identity of a ship and provides evidence of title to ownership
- cetane index
- a measure of the ignition quality of fuel; the higher the indices the shorter the ignition lags and easier the fuel will ignite
- chafing plate
- a plate to protect against chafing
- chain
- connected metal rings or links used for holding anchor fastening timber cargoes etc.
- chain locker
- a compartment usually at the forward end of a ship which is used to store the anchor chain; the cable chain goes in and out through a hawse pipe
- chain plate
- plate for attaching the shroud or standing rigging to the hull
- chain stopper
- a device for securing the chain cable when riding at anchor as well as securing the anchor in the housed position in the hawse pipe thereby relieving the strain on the windlass
- chandler
- one who sells supplies to ships
- Charley Noble
- refers to the galleys smoke pipe; named after an English sea captain who was well known for setting a high standard in the polish of the brass fittings aboard his ship
- chart
- a detailed map of the sea bottom and coast for navigational use
- charterer
- a person or firm who enters into a contract with a shipowner for the transportation of cargo or passengers for a stipulated period of time ie a shipowners customer
- charter party
- a written contract between shipowner and charterer whereby a ship is hired; all terms conditions and exceptions are stated in the contract
- chaser
- device used to locate and recover a buried anchor during anchor handling operation
- chemical tanker
- a tanker designed to carry chemical products; also known as chemical carrier
- China Classification Society
- the Chinese Classification Society or CCS for short
- chine
- the intersection of the lines which form the sides and bottom of a flat-bottomed boat; also written as chime
- chips
- another name for carpenter
- chock
- 1. wooden block used as a wedge to keep things from shifting when a ship rolls; 2. metal piece fitted precisely between machinery and its foundation to achieve alignment; in place of metal pieces resin can be poured in place after alignment
- chronometer
- a special clock constructed to give very accurate time; used in navigation
- clampmeter
- an instrument for measuring larger magnitude of electrical current flow than can be measured by ammeter as in power supply
- classification society
- an organisation which establishes and maintains proper technical standards for the construction and classification of ships supervises their construction and carries out regular surveys of ships in service to ensure continued seaworthiness and compliance with safety standards
- Clause paramount
- clause inserted in a contract of carriage to indicate that the Hague Rules or Hague-Visby Rules are applicable to the bills of lading issued; also known as Paramount clause
- Cld
- cleared
- cleat
- a fitting with two projecting arms or horns for securing ropes
- clingage
- residual oil that remained on the walls of pipes or on the internal surfaces of tanks after most of the oil has been removed
- clinometer
- an instrument for measuring a ships angle of inclination or heel
- clipper
- a name applied to fast ship with sails
- cloud point
- temperature at which wax begins to separate from the oil when cooled; indicated by appearance of cloud or haze
- coaming
- a raised vertical erection around each hatch or deck opening to prevent water from getting down the opening
- coaming bar
- the horizontal plate at the top of the coaming structure
- coaster
- a ship which trades along the coast of a country
- cock
- a type of valve which controls the flow of fluid by a plug; the plug has a through hole which is designed to shut by rotating the hole 90o away from the line of flow
- CODMAE
- stands for Combined Diesel Mechanical And Electric; refers to one of the hybrid propulsion configurations
- cofferdam
- void space between two bulkheads or "walls" that receives and retains any liquid that has leaked through one bulkhead
- cold filter plugging point
- measures the ability of fuel to flow at low temperature; the lower the CFPP the lower is the ambient temperature at which the fuel can run without causing problem
- cold work
- any work that has no chance to create a source of ignition
- collier
- bulk carrier specially constructed for the carriage of coal; loading by gravity from chutes and discharge may be by grabs or conveyor belt system
- collision bulkhead
- the foremost transverse watertight bulkhead which is designed to prevent water flooding the forward cargo hold in the event of head-on collision
- colours
- a ships national ensign
- companion way
- access hatch with stairway linking between decks; sometimes written as companionway
- compartment
- any one of the spaces created when a ship is divided by watertight bulkheads and doors
- compass rose
- graduated circle diagram on a chart or compass card that shows the direction of true and magnetic bearings
- complement
- the number of crew members required to man a ship
- compression bar
- of hatch cover a steel bar designed to force against the rubber seal when the cover is closed to achieve weathertight joint
- connecting rod
- a rod connecting lower end of piston rod with crank pin of a reciprocating diesel engine
- conning
- act of directing the course and speed of a ship
- Conrodson Carbon Residue
- measures the tendency of a fuel to form carbon deposits under high temperature conditions in the absence of air
- consignee
- one to whom cargo is sent as stated on the bill of lading
- consignment
- a shipment of cargo to consignee; the act of shipping goods to another
- consignor
- the person or firm named in the bill of lading as the shipper
- constructive total loss
- the loss may be considered constructive when the cost of salvage or repair for the damage occurred exceeds the insured value; in this case the assured may go for a partial loss and retain ownership of the subject or go for actual total loss and leave the subject to the insurer
- container
- a large metal box of standard size for carrying goods; twenty feet and forty feet long containers are common when transporting by sea
- containership
- a ship designed to carry standard sized containers prepacked with cargo for ease of loading and unloading operation; sometimes written as container ship
- controllable pitch propeller
- a propeller with blades that can be rotated in position to achieve ahead astern or neutral thrust the main engine only needs to run in a constant direction; also known as variable pitch propeller or CPP for short
- copper strip corrosion
- measures the tendency of a petroleum product to corrode pure copper
- corsair
- pirate or pirate ship
- Coulomb
- the unit of electrical quantity and is equal to one ampere per second
- cowl
- a specially shaped fitting on top of natural ventilation trunk which can be rotated to collect and direct air through the trunking to a particular place; helps to improve air flow
- coxswain
- the person in charge of steering a boat
- crane
- a machine for lifting and moving heavy weights
- crew
- a person working on board a ship
- crosshead
- a rectangular block which connects and acts as a hinge between the lower end of piston rod and the upper end of connecting rod in an engine; at its athwartship faces it carries guide shoes which transmit the side thrust of the connecting rod to the guides on the columns
- cross joint
- of hatch cover where hatch covers meet when close
- cross tree
- athwartship erection across the mast
- crows feet
- small lines radiating from a luff or eye
- crows nest
- elevated look-out station near the mast head
- cuddy
- forward cabin in a small boat
- cunningham hole
- a ringed hole located a short distance up from the tack of a sail; serves as an eye for tensioning the luff
- cutout
- opening intentionally cut in structural members to facilitate continuity of welding seams criss-crossing structural members to pass through or simply for drainage
- cutter
- sailing boat with one mast bowsprit and fore and aft sails
