Maritime Glossary
Source-cited definitions for shipping, engineering, navigation, and regulatory terminology. Confidence-scored and verified against primary IMO, IHO, and industry sources.
- Very Large Crude CarrierVLCC
- A VLCC, or Very Large Crude Carrier, is a crude oil tanker of roughly 200,000 to 320,000 tonnes deadweight. VLCCs carry the biggest single parcels of crude oil on the long-haul export routes; larger still are ULCCs.
- vessel-typescargooil-and-gashigh confidence
- Vessel Traffic ServiceVTS
- A Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is a shore-based system, run by a port or coastal authority, that monitors and manages ship movements in busy or hazardous waters (much as air traffic control does for aircraft) using radar, AIS and VHF radio.
- navigationsafetyregulationhigh confidence
- Voyage CharterV/C
- A voyage charter is a contract to carry a specified cargo between named ports for a freight rate, with the shipowner operating the vessel and bearing its running costs. The charterer's main time risk is expressed through laytime and demurrage.
- commercialcharteringhigh confidence
- Voyage Data RecorderVDR · black box · S-VDR
- A VDR is a Voyage Data Recorder, the maritime equivalent of an aircraft's black box. It continuously records bridge audio, radar and ECDIS images, position, heading, speed and other data so that the events leading up to an accident can be reconstructed.
- safetynavigationregulationhigh confidence