Choose the first letter of the word sought or type the word you are searching for in the field above.
- safe berth
- a berth where the ship can be protected from the hazards of the sea; SB in short
- safe port
- any port where a ship and its cargo can be protected from the hazards of the sea as well as perils of political natural or other nature
- safe working load
- the maximum load that can be safely carried without risk of deformation or fracture and should not be exceeded; abbreviated as SWL
- sale and purchase broker
- one who acts as an intermediary between buyer and seller of ships; such broker may specialise based on the types of vessels eg tanker bulk carrier etc or on the market segment eg newbuildings second-hand tonnage or demolition(scrapping); commission for his services is usually paid for by the seller
- salinity
- a measure of the amount of salt dissolved in the water; indicates the saltiness of the water; with fresh water set at 1000 as a reference sea water varies about 1026 depending on locality
- salinometer
- an instrument for measuring the proportion of salt in a given quantity of water
- saloon
- mess room for officers
- salvage
- 1. the saving of a ship cargo or any maritime property from danger of loss or destruction at sea; 2. an award or compensation to third party for saving maritime property from danger or loss; 3. may also refer to the saved property
- salvage agreement
- contract on the terms and conditions of salvage services rendered to preserve maritime property from peril at sea
- samson post
- a strong mast which supports a derrick
- saturated steam
- generated steam that has the same temperature as the water from which it was formed
- saveall
- a receptacle or enclosure around air vent heads of oil tanks or around machinery such as windlass winch etc. to contain minor leakages
- scantling draught
- the maximum draught which meets the strength requirements; this is usually used when the draught corresponding to the freeboard computed according to the Load Line Convention is greater
- scantlings
- dimensions of ships structural members eg frame beam girder etc.
- schooner
- one type of ship with two or more masts and sets of sails
- Scotch boiler
- a large diameter cylindrical boiler with three or four furnaces connected at the back end to form a combustion chamber; combustion gases coming from the individual furnace into the chamber then passes through smoke tubes to the funnel uptake; the boiler water immerses the furnaces chambers and tubes; suitable for comparatively low pressure operation around 15 bar; for higher pressure application water tube boiler is used; sometimes known as smoke tube boiler
- scuffing
- abnormal wear of two sliding surfaces due to lubrication failure; heavy abrasion may indicate micro-welding and fracture of the high contact points of both surfaces
- scupper
- hole in bulwarks to allow water on deck to drain overboard
- scuttle
- 1. small opening in a ships deck side or compartment which can be closed by a shutter when required; 2. to make a hole in a ships bottom to sink her
- Sd
- sailed
- sea anchor
- a drag of floating construction and is so shaped as to offer maximum resistance to sea when thrown over the vessel; used when anchoring is impossible and necessary to keep vessel head to sea; also known as drogue
- sea chest
- small underwater compartment within the shell plating through which sea water is drawn in or discharged; the sea water may be used for cooling the machinery systems
- sea dog
- an informal term for old sailor
- seam
- joint between longitudinal edges of plates or strakes placed side by side
- seaworthiness
- the fitness of a ship in all respects to cope with conditions likely to encounter at sea; this includes not only her hull and equipment but also her crew competency sufficient stores and bunkers quantity
- sextant
- an instrument used for measuring altitudes and angles up to 120o to determine the position of a ship
- shackle
- 1. a metallic U-shaped round bar with eyes at each end; a pin can either be inserted through an eye and screwed into the other eye or goes through both eyes and locked with a nut arrangement at one end; used for connecting purposes; 2. equivalent to one length of anchor chain ie 15 fathoms
- shaft
- a rod or bar designed and built for transmitting rotary motion; shortened term for propeller shaft
- shaft coupling
- a fitting connecting two lengths of propeller shafting for example a rigid coupling using bolts to connect the flanges of the adjacent shafts solidly together
- shaft generator
- generator driven by main engines shaft through appropriate gearing during voyage to produce electric power; part of measure to reduce fuel cost
- shaft horsepower
- the net power available at the propeller shaft after loosing some power to overcome the friction in the engine running gear the reduction gears thrust block or other transmission devices; thus this is always less than the indicated horsepower and for geared engines this is also less than the brake horsepower; shp for short
- sheave
- wheel with a grooved rim in which a rope runs and changes its direction; used with block and tackle
- sheer strake
- uppermost row of side shell plating; usually thicker than the other strakes below it and consider one of the important strength structure
- sheet
- rope used to adjust and control a sail
- sheeting
- pulling in the sails
- shell expansion plan
- drawing showing details like welding seam and butt thickness and framing of all plates forming the shell plating of a hull
- shell landings
- points on the frames where the edges of shell plating are to be situated
- shell plating
- the plating that forms a ships hull; this is further subdivided into side shell plating and bottom plating
- shipbreaker
- one who breaks up old or unserviceable ships
- shipbroker
- 1. one whose business is ships selling and buying ie sale and purchase broker; 2. one who serves as an intermediary between a shipowner and a shipper or charterer; commission upon successful fixture or fixing of voyage charters comes from the shipowner and not from the charterer; sometimes written as ship broker
- ship chandler
- a tradesman who assists ships in procuring and supplies stores food tools equipment etc. to ships
- shipping of green water
- describes water coming onto the deck of a ship due to ship motion
- shipwreck
- the loss or destruction of a ship at sea
- shipwright
- one skilled in the building and repair of vessels
- shipyard
- a yard or place where ships are built or repaired
- shoal
- 1. shallow water where the ground can be seen during low tide; 2. large number of fish swimming together
- shore pass
- a temporary identity paper issued by immigration authority to seamen when they step out of their ships to visit a foreign port
- side boy
- side honours are rendered to officers officials and select retirees as they arrive or depart the ship; side boys when called away fall into formation facing each other forming a passageway near the gangway and salute in unison while the boatswain pipes then drop their salute smartly.
- side kick
- an informal term referring to the connecting rod of a diesel engine flying out of its normal running locus due to some mechanical failure and damaging the engine casing crankcase cover or door
- side shell plating
- refers to the shell plating forming the port or starboard vertical skin of a ship
- single screw
- refers to a single propeller
- sister ship
- a ship built to the same design plan and dimensions as another
- skeg
- deep and vertical fin fitted at the stern of barges in pairs to minimise yawing when towed astern of tug
- skiff
- small light boat
- skipper
- another name for master of a ship
- skylight
- opening in deck that admits light below deck; the covering fitted with glass sheet is usually hinged open to allow air to pass through in good weather
- slagging
- forming of hard deposits on boiler tubes or piston crowns due to high quantity of sodium and vanadium in the fuel used
- slamming
- pounding of the sea surface by the ships forward bottom during pitching
- sling
- a rope or chain in the form of a loop for lifting lowering or supporting an object
- slip
- 1. the difference between the actual distance travelled by a ship and the theoretical distance computed by the number of revolutions and propeller pitch; see negative slip and positive slip; 2. inclined ways sloping towards water on which ships are built and launched; also refers to inclined ways fitted with wheels which can be hauled up to expose the ships bottom for repair and painting
- slipway
- inclined longitudinal timber support on which a ship is built and launched or repaired; the angle of inclination depends on the size of the ship
- sloop
- a single-masted sailing vessel with fore and aft rigging a main sail and jib
- slop tank
- a tank in an oil tanker which is used to collect the oil and water mixtures from cargo tanks after tank washing
- sludge
- deposits in fuel tanks formed by the presence of wax sand etc. in the fuel
- snubbing winch
- rotating and ratcheted drum used for winding sheet
- SOLAS
- The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
- solvent
- substance capable of absorbing another solid liquid or gas to form a homogeneous mixture; usually a liquid
- sounding pipe
- a pipe that leads out of a compartment to deck; serves to allow a measuring tape or rod to access the compartment through it in order to find out the level of liquid in the compartment
- sounding rod
- a graduated weight that is attached to a line and used for measuring the depth of liquid in a compartment
- spar
- long round piece of timber; general term for boom mast yard etc.
- spar ceiling
- removable strips of timbers or battens fixed to the frames in the cargo hold to keep cargo away from the ships sides; this promotes ventilation and prevents cargo damage by condensation and chafing
- sparks
- another name for radio officer
- special survey
- a thorough and complete examination and tests at regular intervals for the renewal of classification with ships classification society; usually carried out once every five-year period with an intermediate survey held once about the half-way point
- specific gravity
- of a substance is the ratio of the weight of unit volume of the substance to the weight of unit volume of water at 4oC
- specific heat
- the amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of a substance by a unit temperature
- specific volume
- amount of space occupied by a unit mass of a substance
- spill pipe
- overflow pipe
- spinnaker
- sail set forward of the forestay when wind is coming from astern or abeam
- splice
- 1. join in a rope or cable made by interweaving the strands of both ropes; 2. to join two ends of ropes by splicing
- sponson
- 1. outboard projection of upper deck for fitting searchlight etc.; 2. fore and aft projection to protect paddle box
- spontaneous ignition temperature
- the lowest temperature at which a material will burn without the introduction of an ignition source
- spout
- loading arm made of pipe for delivering bulk cargo into cargo holds from shore
- spreader
- steel device which is used with crane or derrick to lift long or awkwardly shaped cargo safely without bending or flexing; also known as spreader beam
- sprocket
- any of the teeth in the rim of a wheel or drum that connects the links of a chain
- stabiliser
- a device used to reduce the rolling motion of a ship; may be active type such as active fins or passive type such as bilge keel fixed fins or tank systems
- stanchion
- vertical member such as pillar or beam that supports deck guard rails etc
- standard compass
- a magnetic compass specially located to minimise the effect of magnetic influence on its accuracy; used as a principal compass for navigation
- statement of facts
- document for recording the dates and times of a vessels arrival and the commencement and completion of cargo operation for laytime calculation; SOF in short
- static stability
- the tendency of a floating body to remain upright in still water and without any disturbance
- steamship
- a ship propelled by steam-driven engine
- stem
- the foremost rigid structure which the plating of both sides of a ships hull is being attached as the hull tapers towards both fore and aft ends
- stern post
- vertical member at the stern of a ship for carrying the rudder
- stern tube
- a cast iron tube through which the tailshaft passes to the propeller; acts as an after bearings for the shafting and may be water or oil lubricated
- stevedore
- a person who loads and unloads cargo from a ship
- steward
- one of the crew member whose job is to serve the officers crew and passengers in a ship and to clean and maintain the public and living spaces
- stiffener
- structural member in the form of angle bar T-bar channel etc. that are used to reinforce side shell plating bulkhead etc.
- storm valve
- one way non-return water discharge valve
- stowage
- 1. space where goods can be stowed; 2. the act of stowing goods
- stowage factor
- volume of space in cubic feet required for stowing one ton of a named commodity; includes dunnage and packing spaces as well as broken stowage; e.g. a cargo with SF 88 will occupy 88 cubic feet per ton
- stowaway
- a person who hides illegally in a ship before departure to get a free passage
- strain
- the deformation produced by a tensile or compressive stress; measured by the change i.e. extension or contraction per unit length
- strake
- panel of plating formed by plates joined end to end and running in the ships fore and aft line
- stress
- deformation produced when a force is applied to a body; measured by load or force per unit section area
- stringers
- longitudinal strength members bridging the frames
- strongback
- 1. a beam or spar placed in the fore and aft direction over a boat to support and slope the canvas cover such that no water may accumulate on it; 2. a plate for aligning the edges of plates to be welded together; 3. a steel bar for securing a closed door in addition to the dogs around its edges
- strum box
- a perforated metal box fitted around a bilge suction pipe opening to prevent debris from choking the pipe and bilge pump
- stuffing box
- a short sleeve with a bore in the centre through which a piston rod passes; pressure tightness between the rod and the sleeve is obtained by compressing packing or fibrous material with a retaining gland; used in machinery to prevent escape of steam or water
- subdivision load line
- waterline used to determine the subdivision of vessel for compliance with
- Suezmax
- a large tanker capable of transiting the Suez Canal fully loaded; the maximum draught allowed in the canal is approximately 52 feet 6 inches salt water - this is equivalent to about 150 000 deadweight
- sump
- well for collecting oil; generally refers to the oil reservoir in the bottom of crankcase of a diesel engine; also known as sump tank
- supercargo
- a person who is responsible for the proper loading and discharging of cargo
- superheat
- additional heat given to steam to raise its temperature with the pressure remaining constant
- superheated steam
- dry saturated steam that is further heated to increase its temperature at the same pressure
- superheater
- a bank of steel tubes placed in the path of the exhaust gases from the furnace; the waste heat in the gases is utilised to heat up the dry saturated steam flowing through the tubes at constant presssure to obtain superheated steam
- superintendent
- person who manages technical and/or operational aspects of ships; may be further classified into marine superintendent or technical superintendent
- superstructure
- any permanent structures above upper deck such as bridge cabins store rooms etc.
- surfactant
- compound capable of reducing surface tension in liquid
- surge
- describes the "sliding" longitudinal motion of a ship; one of the six principal motions of a ship in waves
- survey
- 1. to examine and inspect condition of a ships hull and machinery; 2. to take measurement and record features of seabed for charting
- swash bulkhead
- a bulkhead erected to reduce the swashing action of a tanks liquid content as a ship rolls and pitches at sea; the bulkhead is nontight and may run in the transverse or longitudinal direction
- swash plate
- 1. baffle plate in a tank to reduce swashing action of a liquid - see swash bulkhead; 2. disc mounted at an angle on a revolving axis
- SWATH
- Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull - such design concept minimises the effect of waves on performance
- swell
- large waves which occur in fine weather; generally due to effect of wind in the vicinity
