Maritime Glossary
Source-cited definitions for shipping, engineering, navigation, and regulatory terminology. Confidence-scored and verified against primary IMO, IHO, and industry sources.
- BIMCOBaltic and International Maritime Council
- The world's largest international shipping association, producing standard contracts and clauses for the shipping industry.
- commercialorganizationsstandardshigh confidence
- Ballastballast water
- Water taken on board a ship to provide stability and maintain safe trim when cargo spaces are empty or partially loaded.
- operationsenvironmentengineeringhigh confidence
- Ballast Water Management ConventionBWM Convention · BWMC
- IMO convention requiring ships to manage ballast water to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species.
- regulationenvironmenthigh confidence
- Bareboat Charterdemise charter
- A charter under which the charterer takes full operational and navigational control of the vessel, including crewing and maintenance.
- commercialcharteringhigh confidence
- Beaufort ScaleBeaufort wind force scale
- An empirical measure relating wind speed to observed sea and land conditions, numbered 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force).
- navigationmeteorologyseamanshiphigh confidence
- Berth
- A designated place in a port where a vessel moors alongside a quay or pier to load, discharge, or receive services.
- portsoperationscommercialhigh confidence
- Bill of LadingB/L · BOL
- A document issued by a carrier acknowledging receipt of cargo, evidencing the contract of carriage, and serving as a document of title.
- commercialcargolegalhigh confidence
- Biofoulinghull fouling · marine fouling
- The accumulation of micro-organisms, algae, barnacles, and other organisms on a ship's underwater hull.
- environmentengineeringoperationshigh confidence
- Breakbulkbreak-bulk · general cargo
- Cargo individually packaged or unitised (bags, bales, drums, crates) and loaded piece by piece, rather than in containers or as bulk.
- cargooperationshigh confidence
- Bulk Carrierbulker · dry bulk carrier
- A cargo ship designed to carry unpackaged dry bulk commodities such as grain, coal, iron ore, and cement.
- vessel-typescargohigh confidence
- Bunkermarine fuel · bunker fuel · bunkering
- Fuel used to power a ship's main engine and auxiliary machinery, or the act of taking on such fuel.
- engineeringoperationsdecarbonizationhigh confidence